The Five Keys Book 2The Children of the Plateau
by The Inner Genie
Summary: Complete! CHAPTER 5 and the EPILOGUE ARE POSTED! Sequel to The Future is Back. The children are back in their own timeline and deep in a mystery that will affect everyone on the plateau.
1. The DoubleDigit Day

The Children of the Plateau (Book 2) The Lost World  
  
This is a sequel to my story called The Future is Back that can be found posted on this site. It's not necessary to read the first story to understand this one, but I think it would be helpful (and very nice of you!).  
  
I will be posting "bridge" stories that will follow the progress and setbacks of the relationships of our explorers and explain how the plateau came to be the way it was in the children's time.  
  
I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I've enjoyed writing them. Any reviews, critiques, or detailed analysis, either positive or negative, will be greeted with delight. I value your opinions and look forward to hearing from you.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the TV characters. I make no profit from this story. I do own the children of the plateau and any other character that comes from my imagination.  
  
The Five Keys  
  
By The Inner Genie 9/2/02  
  
Chapter 1: The Double-Digit Day  
  
Margaret Rose Roxton sat at the kitchen table in a well-used, handmade highchair. Her bright gray-blue eyes shifted back and forth between her brother William and her sister Summer, who were sitting at the table on either side of her. A grin was hiding in her chubby little cheeks just waiting to break free. The eleven-month old found her older brother and sister very entertaining.  
  
Seven year old Will was eating a bowl of cooked cereal with berries. He was eating steadily, staring down at his food, seemingly oblivious to his sisters. He kicked his feet, which sported a pair of brand new leather boots, against the chair leg in time to his chewing.  
  
Summer's bowl held a sliced banana covered with milk. It was one of her favorite things to eat, mainly because she could fix it by herself. Four- year old Summer longed to be treated as a big girl like her sister Tori and her friend Alice were. She was sick and tired of everyone treating her like a baby. Even Alice held her hand when they crossed the brook. As if she couldn't hop from stone to stone on her own! Summer's temper started to rise at the thought of her best friend's condescension. She gripped her spoon tightly in irritation and spooned a gigantic bite of banana and milk into her mouth.  
  
Will, who had been covertly watching for the perfect moment, pick a ripe, juicy berry out of his cereal and threw it.splash.into her bowl, which caused Summer to immediately forget her grumpiness. She gave a very unladylike giggle-snort, and milk shot out of her nose and ran down her chin.  
  
"Ahhhh!" crowed Rose in admiration, banging her hands on her tray. Her eight little teeth gleamed as a grin bloomed across her face like a morning glory. Her patience had paid off. They hadn't let her down.  
  
Grinning menacingly, Summer wiped her nose on her sleeve and quickly retaliated by fishing a slice of banana out of her bowl and heaved it across the table at her wildly laughing brother. Will, an old hand at this game, easily dodged the dripping fruit and turned to see it land with a soggy plop right at the feet of his older sister Victoria who had just come into the room.  
  
Victoria stepped back with disgust and opened her mouth to call for her mother, but, instead, she sighed, shook her head, and picked up the banana. Walking over to the balcony of the treehouse, she threw the slice of fruit over the railing, then leaned her arms on the top rail and stared out at the dense, surrounding jungle.  
  
"It just isn't fair," she whispered. Here it was her tenth birthday and her brother and sister couldn't behave even for this most important occasion.  
  
She heard her mother come into the kitchen area and turned around. Her mother gave her one of her beautiful smiles.  
  
"How's the birthday girl?" she asked, as she busied herself fixing Rose her breakfast. "I hope you had a good night's sleep. We have a big day planned for you."  
  
Victoria had to grin at that. She might have known that her parents wouldn't let her birthday, her double-digit birthday, go uncelebrated. A double-digit birthday. That's what Grandpa Challenger had called it. Victoria felt the importance of reaching such a milestone. All of the adults were double-digit, and now she was, too.  
  
Victoria was brought out of her reverie by her mother's sharp tone.  
  
"Wipe your face, Summer. Will, one more slurp out of you and we'll consider your breakfast over."  
  
Victoria hurried over to stand behind Rosie's highchair so that she could talk to her mother as she fed her baby sister.  
  
"Where are you taking me, Mom?" she asked excitedly.  
  
It was a tradition in the Roxton household that on each child's birthday, their parents would take him or her on a "lonely trip," which meant that none of the other children could come.  
  
Victoria would have her parents all to herself for her special day.  
  
Before her mother could answer her, her father came into the room buttoning his shirt. Will and Summer called out, "Morning, Dad," and went back to eating breakfast.  
  
"Hey, Birthday Girl," he said as he gave Tori a hug and kiss. Then he bent down and kissed Rosie on top of her short, brown hair. "How's Daddy's Birthday Surprise?" he asked her.  
  
Distracted from her exciting thoughts, Victoria frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Why do you always call her that, Dad?" she asked in vexed tone of voice. "She wasn't born on your birthday."  
  
With a twinkle in her eye, Marguerite shook her head at her husband. "I'll have to agree with Tori on this one, John. Hmm, let's see," she said thoughtfully. "Rose was born almost nine whole months after your birthday."  
  
John threw back his head and laughed. "That was the surprise part!". He raised one eyebrow at Marguerite and smirked until she blushed.  
  
Marguerite hastily spooned the last bite of cereal into Rose's mouth and wiped off her chin.  
  
Damn, the man.still making her blush after all these years.  
  
"Will, Summer, get dressed quickly," she ordered. In her confusion, she spoke a little too sharply. She took a deep breath and said in a calmer voice, "You're going to spend the day at the Malone's, remember?"  
  
"Yeah!" shouted Will. His spoon clattered into his bowl as he jumped down and ran to get dressed.  
  
Marguerite put her arm across Tori's shoulder. "Get dressed, too, Tori.and bring something warm to wear," she advised.  
  
"Warm?" Tori asked in surprise. "I don't think I have anything warm but my blanket."  
  
Her mother raised her eyebrows. "That's a great idea. Bring all the extra blankets, Tori. We'll be glad we have them where we're going."  
  
Victoria's eyes widened with excitement. "Please, Mom, tell me where we're going. I can't wait any longer!"  
  
Marguerite glanced over at Roxton. He nodded his permission, and smiling, she told the exciting secret they had been preparing for her.  
  
"We're taking you all the way to the mountains...in the balloon. Dad and Uncle Ned and Grandpa have been repairing it for weeks. We all agreed that you are old enough now to behave responsibly and not fall out!"  
  
She laughed as the memory of the time they had tried to take five-year old Tori, four year old Edward and two-year old Will for a balloon ride. Will had nearly fallen out three times before they had even left the ground, and Tori and Edward had managed to dump out the sand bags and were happily playing in a big pile of sand before the grownups could finish loading the basket.  
  
The adults had decided at that time that the children wouldn't ride in the balloon, unless it was an emergency, until they were a good deal older. It wasn't long after that that the balloon had suffered a bad crash that put it out of commission. The explorers had been disgusted that they had to fix the bloody thing again and turned their energy to building roads and putting up an electric fence around a larger and larger area. It wasn't until just recently that the men had taken an interest in fixing up the balloon again. Challenger had come up with the idea of taking the children up on their tenth birthday as a special treat.  
  
"Hooray!" shouted Tori. She sprinted to her room to pack.  
  
Summer wasn't as enthusiastic. "How come I can't come with you, Mommy?" she pouted.  
  
Marguerite glanced at Roxton and then sat down next to her daughter. She put her arm around the little girl's shoulders and pulled her close.  
  
"Summer, do you remember when you turned four years old?" At Summer's nod, she continued. "Can you remember what we did on your "lonely trip"?  
  
Summer's funny, little face suddenly glowed as she recalled her special day.  
  
"You and me and Daddy went for a picnic in the meadow, and we played chase, and blew bubbles, and picked flowers for crowns." She giggled. "Daddy wore a crown, too!"  
  
Marguerite and Roxton smiled at the child's delight. "And what else did we do?" Marguerite prompted.  
  
Summer frowned in thought, then grinned. "We went to the river and you and Daddy teached me to swim. And I got on Daddy's back and he dived under the water, and I had to hold my breath for a very, very long time." Her face was aglow with the memory.  
  
"Hmm," mused Marguerite. "We did have a good time, didn't we? Maybe we should have taken Will along to share the fun?"  
  
Summer pulled herself out of her mother's embrace and turned a fiercely frowning face towards her.  
  
"Oh, no we shouldn't have. It was MY "lonely trip" and he would have spoiled it."  
  
Marguerite looked down at her second daughter and, not for the first time, wondered how she and John had produced such a remarkably precocious, intelligent child.  
  
"Well," she said gently, "today is Tori's special day and we don't want to spoil it for her do we?"  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't spoil it, Mommy," Summer assured her, deliberately missing the point. "I'd be verrrry quiet, like a teeny, tiny, little bug.  
  
Summer held her thumb and finger close together and squeezed her eyes almost closed to demonstrate just how quiet and unobtrusive she would be.  
  
"Good try, Summer," John said as he scooped her up into his arms. "But you're too little to go up in the balloon." Summer clamped her lips tightly together at this. Her father didn't notice the gathering storm and continued persuasively. "And, besides, Alice is waiting for you to come over to play. Assai and Jarl are coming this afternoon and bringing Atoo and Demila. You're going to have a great day."  
  
"Demila is coming?" Summer asked excitedly despite her irritation. She and Alice loved playing with Demila, who was twelve and knew all kinds of fun games.  
  
Suddenly Summer realized what her Dad was doing. He was trying to distract her, just like they all distracted Rosie when she crawled too near something she wasn't supposed to have. But Summer wasn't going to be distracted this time; her quick mind was already forming a plan.  
  
"It would be fun to play with Demila and Alice," she said slowly. She wrapped her arms around her father's neck and rubbed her cheek against his.  
  
"But first, could me and Alice go and see the balloon, Daddy?" she wheedled. "Just a little peek? Pleeeese."  
  
Roxton looked over at Marguerite. She bit her lip to keep from grinning and nodded her head. She knew that he wouldn't be able to say no to their natural born manipulator.  
  
Roxton put Summer down and stooped down to look her in the eye. "All right, Summer," he said sternly. "But you must not throw a temper tantrum when we leave. Promise?"  
  
Summer threw her arms around him and said between kisses, "Oh, thank you, Daddy. I promise. No fits."  
  
Roxton hugged her to him and smiled up at Marguerite with a look that said, "There, I handled that one well, didn't I?  
  
"Old Softy," Marguerite murmured. John was a wonderful father, but he was a real pushover where his daughters were concerned.  
  
"All right, Summer," she said. "You hurry and get dressed, now. I'll send Tori over to the Malone's with a note to meet us at the meadow." She hoisted Rosie higher on her hip.  
  
As Summer ran to get dressed, shouting to Will the good news, Roxton stood up and snapped his braces with a little sigh of satisfaction. He put his arm around Marguerite and ruffled Rosie's hair, before pulling them both into an embrace.  
  
"There you are, sweetheart. All is calm in the Roxton household once again." He looked around the treehouse with pride and smoothed his mustache with his finger. "I think I'll go help George with the balloon. Don't bother sending Tori over," he said over his shoulder as he started towards the elevator. "I'll stop by the Malone's and let them know the plan. Ned will probably want to help with the balloon, too."  
  
He stopped when he heard a voice like a rumble of thunder behind him.  
  
"John Richard Roxton, come right back here if you value your life!"  
  
He turned to his fuming wife.  
  
"You called me, my love?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.  
  
"Don't you raise your bloody British eyebrow at me, mister," she whispered in a dangerous voice. "You're not leaving me here to dress four children, pack a picnic lunch, and clean up the breakfast dishes.  
  
She paused for breath, readying herself for the next tirade, when Roxton took two steps forward, and plucked the baby from her arms.  
  
"You're absolutely right, my sweet. How absolutely thoughtless of me. I'll take care of getting Rosie and Summer ready, and then we can deal with the dishes and lunch."  
  
Humming against Rosie's forehead, he carried the giggling baby back to her bedroom.  
  
Marguerite, hands on hips, looked down at the floor. A smile spread across her face as she shook her head. After eleven years of marriage, she should know that John never shirked his job as a father, but he could still take her by surprise with his good-natured cooperation.  
  
Her own good nature restored by his, she headed for the kitchen calling for Victoria so that she could send her on her errand.  
  
**  
  
An hour later, the Roxton family was walking towards the meadow where the balloon was waiting. Will and Victoria were in the rear, carrying a large picnic basket between them. Will kept sneaking his free hand over to lift the clean cloth that covered it, and Victoria kept slapping his hand away.  
  
"Stop that, Will," Victoria hissed at him. "This is my picnic, so you stay out of it!"  
  
"Aww, I just wanted to see if there was any cake in there," Will explained. "I wasn't going to eat anything."  
  
"Humph," Victoria snorted skeptically. "I saw you eating Rosie's crackers.right off her highchair tray!"  
  
"She was FEEDING them to me," he insisted. "And, anyway, she said she didn't want them."  
  
"Liar! Rosie can't talk!  
  
"She talks to me!" Will said triumphantly.  
  
Victoria knew better than to get into this argument. She gave a long suffering sigh, and shaking her long, dark braids behind her shoulders, picked up the pace.  
  
Summer led the group along the shadowy jungle path. On her back she carried her small backpack. It was stuffed with a packet of carefully wrapped cookies for her to share, her hairbrush and a change of clothes, and, of course, her Dolly.  
  
She skipped, twirled and sang with excitement. She had many reasons to be happy. She was going to see Alice, who was her very favorite friend in the world; she was going to get to see the balloon, which figured in many stories the adults told to the children; and she knew that her plan, which had been forming in her sharp, devious mind all morning, was going to work perfectly.  
  
Roxton, Marguerite and Rosie made up the middle of the group. Roxton carried Rosie in a specially made backpack that had leg holes cut in the bottom. Her chubby little legs kicked her father's back as she squealed with delight at being outdoors. Under his left arm he carried a pile of blankets. It got cold high up over the jungle mountains and he didn't want his ladies to get chilled.  
  
Marguerite walked beside her husband. She was really looking forward to a day off.well, a day with just one child, anyway.  
  
She reached out and took John's hand. From under her down turned lashes, she looked over at him. He was gazing down at her with a very familiar smirk on his face.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, I was just thinking about our honeymoon," he answered. His smirk was joined by a wicked twinkle in his eye.  
  
Marguerite laughed out loud.  
  
"Our great sightseeing tour in the balloon?" she cackled.  
  
"Some sightseeing.we didn't look over the side for two days!" He laughed along with her at the memory.  
  
"Two days!" It was her turn to smirk. "It was more like three days.and we got so far off course that we were four days late getting home. Very embarrassing. Veronica teased me for weeks!"  
  
Roxton pulled her into a one armed embrace and whispered in her ear. "Let's do it again sometime."  
  
"Deal," Marguerite whispered back.  
  
Their romantic mood was broken by the reality of a crying baby. Margaret Rose was the most even-tempered of all their children, but when she saw something she wanted, she wanted it now.  
  
Rosie had been content watching Summer dance around ahead of them. But when she saw her sister snap off a small branch with a switch of leaves on the end and wave it around in the air, Rosie wanted it. She reached out her greedy little hands and howled.  
  
Marguerite looked to see what Rosie was crying about and knew immediately what she wanted.  
  
"Summer Leigh," she called. "Please come here."  
  
Summer's shoulders slumped as she turned and stomped back to her parents. She screwed up her face and whined, "I don't have to give her my magic wand, do I?"  
  
Roxton looked sternly down at his daughter. "No fits, now," he reminded her.  
  
Summer, reminded of her promise and thinking of her plan, aimed a charming smile up at her father.  
  
"No fits. See?" she said, pulling her smile even wider with her fingers on her cheeks.  
  
"Sweetheart," Marguerite said. "I'm going to distract Rose with one of her toys, so would you mind walking behind us for a while?  
  
Summer, her fingers still stretching her mouth wide, answered slowly, "Oh- kay, Mom-mee."  
  
Marguerite rolled her eyes, but clamped her lips tight so that she wouldn't laugh. Summer didn't need any more encouragement.  
  
She rooted in her backpack and pulled out a toy for the baby. It was a stuffed dinosaur Grandma Tilly had made for her. Rosie's tears dried on her face as she grabbed the toy and shoved its head in her mouth.  
  
With peace restored, Roxton and Marguerite smiled at each other and reached out to hold hands. Before their hands could meet, a pair of small, none- too-clean hands slipped into theirs.  
  
They looked down and met the grinning face of Will.  
  
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," he smiled lopsidedly up at them. "Can I walk with you?"  
  
Roxton smiled and squeezed his hand. "Sure, son. We're happy to have your company."  
  
Marguerite looked back over her shoulder and saw Summer helping Tori carry the picnic basket. Although she had to use both hands, she seemed to be doing all right. She and Tori were in a deep discussion about magic.  
  
She sighed in relief and smiled down at her only son. He was an adorable copy of his handsome father.  
  
"Well, Will, tell us what you, Edward, and Atoo have planned for today," she asked.  
  
The rest of the way to the meadow passed in happy conversation.  
  
**  
  
As the Roxton family walked into the meadow, they saw the basket, with its huge balloon inflated above it. The children stopped in awe. They couldn't remember ever seeing something so big. It seemed to hover high over them like a captured cloud.  
  
Most of the former Challenger expedition party stood around the basket talking and making last minute preparations for the flight. George Challenger was in deep conversation with Ned Malone. He was gesturing with his hands and talking a mile a minute. The thirteen years that had past since the explorers had first become stranded on the mysterious plateau had changed him very little. His hair and beard had turned a soft white that glinted pink in the bright sunlight. He was still tall and thin. His only complaint about aging was that his eyesight wasn't as keen as it had been, but he was just as enthusiastic and curious as always. His mate Tillaka was a Zanga native. They lived in the Zanga village where they had founded and now taught in the village school. The young Malone and Roxton children went there for schooling, as did the Zanga children. Although Grandma Tilly was at least fifteen years younger than her husband, she didn't mind the nickname the children had given her. She doted on the Malone and Roxton children, probably because she didn't have children of her own.  
  
Will spotted Grandma Tilly and broke away from his parents to run up and give her a hug. There was a strong bond between Will and Grandma Tilly. They, like Roxton, were interested in weapons, and hunting and tracking. Often the three of them would spend the day in the "hunting grounds", a place where small mammals and reptiles nested and burrowed among the fallen trees, moss covered rocks, and the banks of a meandering stream. The hunting ground was within the safety of the electric fence, but was not a popular place among the Zanga. A belief that this area was a place of mystery and danger kept them away. However, the three pragmatists had no patience with this nonsense. They just knew that it was a great place to hunt for rabbits, or squirrels, or turkeys.  
  
The Roxton's joined the others around the balloon's basket. As Victoria set the heavy picnic basket down beside a pile of other supplies, she glanced around for her friend Edward Malone. She smiled as she saw him come from around the side of the basket.then she blinked her eyes in disbelief as another Edward came around behind him.  
  
"Edward?" Victoria said.  
  
The second-Edward smiled. "Hi, Tori. You're so lucky to be going up in the balloon. I can hardly wait 'til I'm ten."  
  
As the first-Edward got closer, Victoria was stunned to see that it was Alice Malone, Edward's sister. Veronica (or Ronee, as she was called outside their little circle) Malone followed her children and caught Victoria's expression. She shrugged and walked over to talk to Marguerite.  
  
"Hi, Tori," the dramatically-changed Alice greeted her.  
  
"Alice," Victoria asked, aghast. "What did you do to your hair?" She looked from Alice to Edward. Alice was wearing an old, outgrown pair of Edward's pants and one of his shirts. They were practically identical.  
  
"Oh, I had my mom cut it," Alice said in an offhand manner, running her hand through her short, curly locks.  
  
"But why?" asked Tori, while, just at the same time, Marguerite was asking Veronica the same question.  
  
Veronica sighed in exasperation.  
  
"She insisted! She said she HAD to have it cut." Veronica signed again. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she was so adamant. Well, I finally decided that it was her hair, and it would grow back, so I cut it the way she wanted it." She paused to draw in a deep breath. "And then, if you can believe it, she wanted to dress in Edward's old clothes. You know Alice. She's always been so quiet and, well, timid. I couldn't believe it was the same girl!"  
  
Marguerite looked closely at her friend. She saw that the worry lines that had formed at the corners of Veronica's eyes eight years ago were deeper and that she was rubbing her arms nervously.  
  
She pulled her around the backside of the basket and a little way away from the others.  
  
"All right, Veronica. What has you so worried? And don't tell me 'nothing'," she warned, as Veronica started to shake her head.  
  
"It's Alice." Veronica began reluctantly. "She's.changing. She has an opinion about everything, now. A strong opinion. Why, yesterday, she, Edward and I were out planting in the garden and she insisted that we plant some seeds she had. I asked her where she had gotten them, and she said that she and Edward had found them and they needed to grow." Veronica shook her head in frustration. "Now, this thing with her hair and clothes.I just don't know what to do.or am I overreacting because it's Alice."  
  
Marguerite was silent for a moment, deep in thought.  
  
"What do Ned and Edward make of this new behavior?" she asked.  
  
"Well, you know how Ned is about Alice. She can do no wrong in his eyes. He thinks she's just going through a phase and it has nothing to do with the danger. As for Edward, he's been wonderful with her. He and Alice have always gotten along really well, as you know, but lately, they've been together every minute." She paused in thought. "We've always told him to look out for his sister, but, well, he's taken it much too much to heart. They go out in the mornings and sometimes don't come home until late in the afternoon." She laughed lightly. "I hope they haven't been eating you out of house and home, because they haven't been coming home for lunch."  
  
Marguerite frowned. "I don't think they've been around too much, lately, Veronica," she said slowly. "I've been keeping my three pretty close to home. It seems they need to relearn the necessity of doing their chores."  
  
Seeing the stricken look on her friend's face, she put her arm around her shoulder and hastily added, "You know that we've made this part of the plateau as safe as possible so that the children can have a normal childhood. No one can get in without our knowing it.and no one can get out."  
  
"Then, if they weren't with you, I wonder where they've been?" Veronica's voice bespoke the worry about her children that was never very far from the surface.  
  
"You could ask them," Marguerite said gently.  
  
"I will," Veronica assured her.  
  
They both turned when they heard Roxton call, "Marguerite, can you come here and take the baby. We're about ready to pack up the basket and Challenger wants to go over the valve system with me again."  
  
While the women had been talking, Victoria and Edward sat in the shade of the basket, their backs against the woven side. They spoke in low tones so that they wouldn't be overheard by the grownups.  
  
"You didn't tell me that Alice was going to have to cut her hair," Victoria whispered indignantly.  
  
Edward answered defensively, "I just found out late yesterday. I couldn't have let you know."  
  
"Okay," she said somewhat mollified. "Did you learn what we're supposed to do next?"  
  
"No, not really." A troubling thought caused him to frown. "I think that Alice is in some kind of danger right now, that's why she has to look like a boy. We'll have to keep a close eye on her." He paused. "Have you said anything to Will or Summer?"  
  
She signed. "No, Mom's kept us so close to her that I haven't had a chance. Anyway, don't you think they're a little young to know?"  
  
"Will's older than Alice and Summer's really smart. I don't think Rose would understand though, since she can't talk yet."  
  
Victoria went suddenly still remembering an earlier conversation.  
  
"Will says that Rosie talks to him. I thought he was just making that up, but."  
  
She grabbed hold of Edward's arm and said with sudden excitement.  
  
"What if Will is like my mom? What if he can understand every language, too?"  
  
"Baby talk?" Edward questioned, raising skeptical eyebrows.  
  
"Mom says that babies have a language all their own. She certainly understands what Rosie says, I just never realized it before."  
  
"Well if that's true, then Will can be very useful." He leaned forward to look intently into her face. "I think we aught to tell them all just as soon as you get back from your trip. Can you get Will, Summer, and Rosie to come with you to the place?"  
  
"You want me to bring Rosie, too? She's just a baby. She won't understand."  
  
"Hey, she's in this just as much as we are. Maybe Will can explain it to her. Anyway, why don't we meet at four-thirty?"  
  
Victoria bit her lip in thought.  
  
"I don't think today is a good idea, Edward. We aren't getting home from our trip until late, and then we have to collect all the little kids and have my birthday party at home. I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow."  
  
Edward took a deep breath. "Okay, if we have to wait then we will. But we shouldn't wait too much longer. We're going to need all of us when the time comes."  
  
"I know," Victoria said quietly.  
  
She shook her head and changed the subject.  
  
"Let's go ask Grandpa George to tell us about the gas he's using to inflate the balloon. He said it was very interesting and he would teach you and me how to do it someday."  
  
Edward, always interested in learning new things, jumped up when she did and followed her over to where the men were gathered.  
  
Meanwhile, Summer and Alice were in a little conclave of their own. Alice was shaking her head as hard as she could. She was letting Summer know that she disagreed with her plan, but she was also enjoying the feel of her short hair bobbing on top of her head. Her head felt lighter and her neck was so much cooler. Maybe she wouldn't go back to long hair afterwards, she mused.  
  
"No, Summer. I won't do it. We'd get into a lot of trouble. Your mom and dad would be very mad."  
  
Summer wasn't upset by Alice's reaction. In fact, she had expected it. However, it wouldn't do for Alice to know this, so she put on a very sad face. If her father had been there, he would have recognized it immediately. His advice to Alice would have been to give in right away and save herself a lot of trouble.  
  
Summer's lip trembled. "Gosh, Alice, don't yell. We won't do that if you don't want to. All I wanted to do was to get inside of the basket just once." She blinked her eyes. "I won't get my ride," --she counted on her fingers-- "for six more birthdays."  
  
Pausing to let that fact sink in, Summer played her trump card. "Everyone thinks I'm just a baby and won't let me have any fun. But you don't think I'm a baby. Do you Alice? You're my bestest friend." She let a tear run down her cheek. "I just wanted one teeny, tiny little peek, but Daddy said I couldn't throw a fit so I have no one to help me."  
  
Alice was smart enough and had been around Summer long enough to know how dramatic and manipulative she could be. But softhearted Alice loved Summer and, really, what would it hurt to take one little peek inside the basket? Truth be told, she was a bit curious, too. And she was still mad at her mother for thinking that she was too young to decide how she wanted her hair cut. It was her hair, after all. Summer was right; everyone did treat them like babies!  
  
"All right, Summer, we'll take one look and then get right out. I can't get into trouble right now."  
  
Summer's funny little face broke into a wide grin as she flung her arms around her friend. "Thank you, Alice! I love, love, love, love you!"  
  
She abruptly broke the embrace and became all business.  
  
"Now, do you see those two boxes over there? You move them over to the basket and stack them up. We'll climb up that way. I have to tell my mom something, but I'll be right back."  
  
Alice nodded and Summer, with a smile of satisfaction, went over to where her mother, with Rosie leaning sleepily on her shoulder, was talking to Grandma Tilly. She stood at a distance and watched as Grandma Tilly took Rosie from Marguerite.  
  
"Nonsense, Marguerite, I don't mind missing the send off. I'll just take Rosie back to your treehouse and put her down for a nap."  
  
Marguerite smiled at the older woman and kissed Rosie's fuzzy head.  
  
"Thank you so much, Tilly. She really is very sleepy. The milk jug is in the spring house and her favorite blanket is in her crib."  
  
"Don't worry so, girl, I helped you with every one of your babies. Do you think I've forgotten how?"  
  
Marguerite laughed. "I haven't forgotten. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to help. I'd no sooner think I was done with childbearing, then here would come another one!"  
  
"I think your John Roxton had something to do with that," Tilly said with a twinkle in her eye.  
  
"You're right. We would have a dozen kids if it were up to him. I'm very happy at stopping with four."  
  
Tilly laughed with her and then, securing Rosie into a sling of colorful cloth that she had tied around her neck and shoulder, she started down the path to the treehouse.  
  
Summer saw her chance and ran up to her mother. A worried frown made her small eyes even smaller.  
  
"Mommy! Is it all right if me and Alice go with Grandma Tilly? I forgot my Dolly and me and Alice want to play dolls today. Besides, me and Alice don't want to see that silly balloon go up, 'cause we're too little to go." Summer's frown had turned into surly discontent as her voice mimicked her father's words.  
  
"Alice and I," corrected Marguerite automatically. She frowned. Summer looked on the verge of throwing a fit, so maybe it was better is she wasn't around when the balloon lifted off.  
  
"Okay, Summer, but you and Alice stay with Grandma until Aunt Veronica or Uncle Ned come to pick you up. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, Mommy. I'll get Alice. Me and Alice.Alice and I.will catch up with Grandma Tilly."  
  
She ran off to carry out the next step of her plan. Her mother looked after her with a familiar feeling of being had by her enigmatic daughter.  
  
Summer found Alice hoisting the second box on top of the first one. She wiped her hands on her pants and turned to her friend.  
  
"Okay, Summer. I'll keep a look out. Go ahead and climb up. Then I'll come as soon as no one is watching."  
  
Summer wasted no time in scampering up the boxes and, sitting on the basket's edge, she fell rather than jumped in. Luckily, she landed on the pile of blankets that Roxton had stacked in one corner. Even standing on the blankets, she couldn't see over the side.  
  
Suddenly, there was a big commotion in the meadow. Summer was scared that she had been spotted and was about to get hauled out by a furious father. Instead, Alice's head popped over the rim.  
  
"Move out of the way, Summer. I'm jumping down."  
  
Alice landed neatly on the blankets and sank to the floor, pulling Summer down with her.  
  
"What.? Summer started to say, but Alice clamped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Shhhh! It's the Zangas. I guess they came to see the balloon go up."  
  
Just then they heard people coming nearer. They heard their fathers' voices explaining to someone, who sounded like Jarl, Demila's father, how the balloon was inflated.  
  
Alice looked at Summer. Summer looked at Alice. They knew they would be in deep trouble if their dads found them in the basket. Without a word, they both crawled under the pile of blankets and lay perfectly still.  
  
It seemed to the two little girls like they had been under the scratchy, stuffy blankets forever. They could hear different people talking and laughing. They held their breath and lay as still as they could as Grandpa George showed Roxton and Marguerite, one last time, how to open and close the valve that controlled the flow of gas. They heard Roxton grunting as someone handed him a heavy box that he set down with a loud thud next to the blanket pile.  
  
Familiar voices checked off supply lists. Unfamiliar voices shouted and cussed as viewing stools were strapped against the inside struts. They heard Marguerite's voice telling someone about the journal books and the new ink filled pens that Challenger had invented. Her voice was filled with excitement as she explained how they were going to record, in words and pictures, whatever they saw of interest. Lastly, the picnic basket was secured to keep it from tipping over.  
  
The little stowaways were lulled by the muted voices and the warmth of their snug little nest. It wasn't long before their eyes closed and they drifted off into quiet sleep.  
  
If they had been awake, they would have heard Victoria giggle as Roxton lifted her into the basket and they would have heard Marguerite laugh and squeal as Roxton helped her in, as well. They would have heard the calls of farewells and happy birthday wishes that were shouted out by the people who stood around the meadow as the balloon rose from the grass. They would have felt the basket move jerkily at first and then sway smoothly as it reached the air above the jungle canopy.  
  
But they weren't awake. If anything, they were lulled more deeply asleep by the gentle swaying of the basket as it became a small blot in the sky to the people below.  
  
**  
  
Sighing with a little touch of envy, Veronica tore her eyes from the sky and called to Edward and Will who, along with Challenger, were still looking at the balloon as it got smaller and smaller overhead.  
  
"Come on boys, we have to go pick up Alice and Summer. They went back to the Roxton's with Grandma Tilly."  
  
Will walked over and stopped in front of her, a puzzled frown on his face.  
  
"No they didn't. I saw them getting into the basket. Are they in big trouble?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"Are you sure, Will," Challenger asked sharply.  
  
"Sure. I just wish that I'd thought of sneaking inside. Summer and Alice are lucky."  
  
Veronica turned and called out to the thinning crowd..  
  
"Did anyone see Alice and Summer get into the basket?" she asked in the Zanga's language.  
  
No one had seen them. The Zangas at the edge of the meadow stopped, sensing trouble. Jarl and Assai came over to Ned and Veronica. Their children Demila and Atoo came running up to them, along with Edward.  
  
"Mom, Dad! Is it true? Did Alice go up in the balloon?" Edward asked sharply.  
  
Ned put his arm around his son's shoulder. "We aren't sure, old man. But if the two girls are up there, they're perfectly safe. Uncle John won't let anything happen to them."  
  
Veronica looked up at the sky nervously.  
  
"Why didn't we see them when we loaded the basket?" she asked. "How could they hide in such a small basket?"  
  
"Maybe they're didn't," Ned said hopefully. He turned to the children.  
  
"You four run to the Roxton's treehouse to see if they're there. If they aren't, hurry back."  
  
With a nod from Jarl, Demila and Atoo ran after Will and Edward and were soon out of sight.  
  
The stunned adults gathered closer together. They had been through so much together, had worked so hard to assure a safe and danger free environment for their children, that this unexpected event brought all of their fears to the surface.  
  
"Why haven't John and Marguerite brought them back?" asked Assai.  
  
Ned shrugged. "Maybe they're on the way or maybe they haven't discovered them yet."  
  
"We will go after them," Jarl announced. "Our children must be kept safe. They must not venture into the jungle."  
  
Assai looked up at her warrior husband and reminded him gently, "They're not in the jungle, Jarl. They are over the jungle, well out of danger's grasp."  
  
"The jungle's dangers do not stop at the tree tops, my Assai," Jarl argued. "I did not think this balloon idea was a good one, and now, I have been proven right."  
  
He folded his arms across his chest. "I have been thinking that it is wrong for warriors to cower behind a fence. We have grown wiser since the danger came. We have stronger weapons and have trained our young men and women well. Maybe this is a sign that we should go and defeat the danger that has held us prisoners for so many years."  
  
Challenger cleared his throat. "Let's get everyone back safe and sound and then we can discuss Jarl's idea."  
  
"Challenger, is there anyway we can signal the balloon?" asked Ned. "Maybe we can use the mirrors again."  
  
"That's an interesting idea, Ned. However, I am sorry to say that I have forgotten how to interpret the flashes. If you think that you other four have a better memory than I, then, perhaps your idea has merit."  
  
Ned looked at Veronica and they both shook their head.  
  
"Well then, it seems we must wait until Roxton and Marguerite return with the children." Challenger paused, then went on. "Remember, we did discuss the danger of taking Victoria away from the safe zone, and we decided that the danger was minimal. After all, from the ground, there is no way to tell who is in the balloon."  
  
Before anyone else could speak, Edward, closely followed by Atoo, Will, and Grandma Tilly carrying Rose, came running into the field.  
  
"Dad! They weren't there! What are we going to do?"  
  
Ned put his hand on Edward's shoulder as he came to a stop in front of him.  
  
"It's all right, son. I'm sure they'll be back any time now." He laughed lightly. "Who wants to bet that this was Summer's idea?"  
  
Edward didn't laugh. He spoke urgently, but in a low voice.  
  
"Dad, please listen. You don't understand. Alice is."  
  
Just then a great shouting arose from the Zangas at the edge of the meadow, "Balloon! Balloon!"  
  
Sure enough, floating over the tree tops, the familiar balloon, with its basket swaying beneath it, hovered over the meadow and slowly began to descend.  
  
"How odd," muttered Challenger. "The wind is coming from the other direction."  
  
As soon as the basket settled softly in the short grassy meadow, it was quickly surrounded by curious but anxious people. The tallest of the group looked over the rim and gasped. The shorter ones shouted, "What do you see?"  
  
Challenger shouldered his way through the crowd and peered down into the basket. He seemed to freeze. "Incredible," he whispered.  
  
He turned to the Malones, who were standing behind him with the children and Tilly. Ned and Veronica were terrified, yet had to know. They looked at Challenger with beseeching eyes.  
  
He put his hands on their shoulders. "I don't understand it," he told them gently, "but.it's totally empty,"  
  
With a cry of anguish, Veronica rushed to the basket to look for herself. What George had said was true. There was not a thing left in the basket, not a stool, not a box, not a blanket. Ned came over more slowly and put his arm around his wife as they stood, puzzled and distraught, looking for any sign that the basket had, so short a time ago, held their best friends and their much cherished children.  
  
Ned was the first to notice a small piece of white paper tucked behind one of the struts. He scrambled into the basket and carefully pulled the paper from its hiding place. Turning it over, he saw the word "EDWARD" printed crookedly across it in Victoria's distinctive handwriting.  
  
He jumped out of the basket and held the paper for Veronica to see, then called Edward over.  
  
"This seems to be for you, Edward," he said as he handed the mysterious note to his son.  
  
His parents and grandparents hung over his shoulders as, with a puzzled look and slightly trembling hands, Edward took the note from his father and, taking a deep breath, opened it.  
  
Written, clearly in haste, were the cryptic words.IT'S BEGUN!  
  
(to be continued) 


	2. The Forever Caves

Chapter 2: The Forever Caves  
  
The mysterious note held tightly in his hand, Edward, along with Will and Rosie, was bustled to the treehouse by the women. He tried to protest, but they were deaf to his pleas.  
  
Lips pinched shut with worry and helplessness, the adults did what they could to gain control of a situation that had gotten rapidly out of hand. The only thing that kept them from hysteria was the knowledge that John and Marguerite were with the children and they would protect them with their last breath.  
  
Ned and Challenger stayed behind and thoroughly searched the basket and balloon. They found nothing else. They secured it down with ropes and asked two of the Zanga to stand guard. The balloon had returned to the meadow on its own and they didn't want it to leave that way, too.  
  
When the men returned to the Malone treehouse, they sent Will to the bedroom to watch over Rosie while she napped. Edward sat at the dining table with his hands clasped between his knees. He knew he was in trouble.  
  
Ned paced around the room, tapping the small piece of paper on his palm. If it had been a grenade, it couldn't have given the adults more concern.  
  
"All right, Edward, we want to know what this note means and I want the whole story," he spoke sternly.  
  
Edward looked up. "Sure, Dad, I'll tell you. We were going to tell you soon, anyway."  
  
"Whose "we"?" asked his mother.  
  
Edward looked over at her. He could tell by her expression that he had better have a good story.  
  
"Alice and Tori," he said, and paused.  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Well, a few weeks ago Alice and I went over to the Roxton's, but Aunt Marguerite said that only Tori could come out and play."  
  
"Why couldn't Will and Summer play?" asked Challenger curiously.  
  
"Oh, they were caught throwing their Mom's biscuits over the railing and they had to stay home to "learn not to waste food."  
  
Despite the seriousness of the occasion, Veronica smiled at that. There were some foods that Marguerite just never could learn to cook.  
  
Edward sighed.  
  
"So we.the three of us. went to the meadow to practice with our bows and arrows, and then we started chasing each other around and hiding behind the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Tori and I had just found Alice stooping down behind a big rock, when we saw a small cave that we had never noticed before."  
  
Edward looked around to gage how his audience would react to this next piece of news. They were staring at him with slight frowns of disbelief on their faces. They knew the cliff wall well, and had never seen a cave in it. Edward sighed and plunged on.  
  
"We were taking turns looking into it, when a girl came popping out of it. She was kind of skinny and had very white skin."  
  
The grownups looked at each other with deep concern. This was an unexpected blow. For eight years, they'd worked to keep the rest of the plateau out of their compound. Now it seemed that they hadn't succeeded.  
  
Ned stopped pacing and clamped his hand on his son's shoulder. "Did she hurt any of you?" he asked, shaken.  
  
"No, Dad." Edward hastily assured him. "She was really nice and she didn't try to scare us or hurt us at all!"  
  
Ned, reassured by Edward's tone of voice, ran his hand through his short, pale hair and went back to pacing.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Edward said quickly, "She had a waterskin under her arm and, this is the really strange part, she poured the water into a little bowl in the rocks, and a man's face appeared in it!"  
  
"Edward," Veronica said warningly.  
  
"Really, it's true, Mom. The man looked really old and wrinkly, but he wasn't mean or anything. We looked into the water and he said, "Hello" to us and we said "Hello" back and he said, "My, what polite children."  
  
"He spoke English?" Challenger asked, incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, Grandpa. He told us that the girl and her people lived in caves under the mountains. He called them the "Forever Caves" because the caves were inside all the mountains and they were all connected together."  
  
He was so intent on his story that he didn't see the look that passed between the adults.  
  
"Then he asked us our names and we told him. He seemed really happy to meet us and he told us his name was R'Tor and the girl's was K'dell Sw'atee. He asked us all kinds of questions about all of you and the other kids, and the Zanga. Then Tori asked him if he was in the water and he said no, that he was in the caves, but this was special water and when he looked in the water from his cave, he could see us, too."  
  
"Edward," Veronica interrupted. "Why on earth didn't you tell us about this?"  
  
"R'Tor told us not to, just yet. He said that there was a great danger on the plateau and that we could help get rid of it, so that all the tribes and people who were hiding in the caves could go home. He said that the time was coming soon when the danger would be vul.vulner...bull and that we would know when that time came."  
  
He pointed to the crumpled paper in his father's hand. "Tori says that the time has come."  
  
"How did he say that you could help?" asked Tilly. She was the only one who seemed to be undisturbed by Edward's story.  
  
"He didn't tell us that time, Grandma, but the next time we talked to him, he said that we kids had.well," He gave an embarrassed laugh. "that we had special gifts that could stop the danger."  
  
Edward looked around at their skeptical faces and held up his hands.  
  
"I know it sounds crazy, but he told us that we had faced the danger once already and had gotten away, so that proved that we were immune to it."  
  
Challenger shook his head.  
  
"Is that why you asked me what immune meant?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"What did you think he meant, when he said that all of you had faced the danger before?"  
  
Edward shrugged. He was truly puzzled by this. "I really don't know, Grandpa."  
  
"Did Will and Summer meet this.R'Tor?" asked Ned.  
  
"No, we didn't want them there. You know how they are. They would have told everyone. A lot of times Tori stayed with them so they wouldn't follow us." He sighed and shrugged. "But, R'Tor said that we had to tell them, anyway, so we were going to tell them tomorrow.but, now."  
  
"Edward, tell me," Veronica asked thoughtfully. "Did Alice's sudden change of temperament, not to mention hair and clothes, have anything to do with R'Tor?"  
  
Edward squirmed uncomfortably. This was the part that he felt the most guilty about.  
  
"Well, yeah, sort of. You see, R'Tor said that Alice might not be as safe as the rest of us because the danger would recognize her."  
  
He heard his mother gasp, so he hurried on.  
  
"I didn't want the danger to recognize Alice, so I told her that she had to disguise herself. We thought that if she looked like a boy, she would be safer."  
  
Veronica whispered. "But how could the danger recognize her? She's never been outside the electric fence.  
  
Edward jumped up and ran over to throw his arms around his mother's neck.  
  
"I'm sorry. I should have told you. But no one will recognize her now. She looks just like me!"  
  
Veronica held him close. How could she blame him? He was just trying to keep his sister safe.just like they all were.  
  
"You were very clever, Sweetheart." She pushed his blond curls back from his forehead. "Dad and I are so glad that you take such good care of Alice."  
  
"I always will," he promised.  
  
She pulled him down to sit beside her, keeping one arm around his shoulder.  
  
"Now, Edward, I have one more question for you."  
  
Edward raised his eyebrows, all cooperation. "Sure, Mom. What is it?"  
  
"Why did you and Alice insist on planting those strange seeds? I've never seen such funny plants coming up."  
  
"Oh," Edward said, relieved that it was such an easy question. "R'Tor asked us to plant them. He said that his people love those plants, but they're having trouble getting them to grow up in the highest mountains, so he wanted us to see if we could grow them here. Alice and I were going to give the plants to the Sw'atee."  
  
"You're not saying it right, Edward," Will said as he came into the room, his baby sister holding tightly on to his shoulders as he struggled to carry her.  
  
He handed the baby to Grandma Tilly. "Here, Grandma, she woke up."  
  
"What do you mean, he isn't saying it right, Will," asked Challenger.  
  
Will looked around at the people sitting in the Malones dining area. He was trying to read their faces, trying to figure out if he had said something wrong.  
  
"Well, Edward said the people were called the Swa-tee, and that's not right." He stopped, but no one said anything, so he continued.  
  
"They're called the Swah-ah-tee."  
  
Will frowned, puzzled, as everyone stared at him.  
  
His uncle cleared his throat.  
  
"Ah, Will. How do you know what they're called?" Ned asked fearfully.  
  
"A'mit Sw'atee told me," Will answered simply.  
  
Veronica reached out and pulled the boy to her side.  
  
"Tell me, Will, how did you meet this Sw'atee?" She saw the worried look on his face. "It's all right. You're not in trouble. In fact, you may be able to help us find your family."  
  
Will relaxed. "Okay," he said. "I saw him in the hunting grounds when me and Dad and Grandma went hunting for rabbits." He turned to his grandma. "You know that rabbit hole between the rocks that Dad sends me down to chase out the rabbits? Well, at the bottom is a little cave and that's where I saw him. He comes there to catch a rabbit. He doesn't eat meat, but his.king?.I'm not sure what he's called.likes a nice rabbit stew, so A'mit takes the rabbit to him and he cooks it."  
  
Will nodded with satisfaction, as his story seemed to be so absorbing to the people gathered around him.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us about this, Will?" Ned asked.  
  
Will shrugged. "A'mit told me not to, so I didn't."  
  
Edward looked sharply at Will. "How do you know what A'mit said? Did he speak English?"  
  
Will frowned. "I don't think so, but it was okay, 'cause I could understand him."  
  
The grownups looked at each other and Edward nodded to himself. Tori was right. Will did understand other languages, just like his mother.  
  
"Well," Veronica said with a sigh. "Now we have two places to start. It sounds as if this Sw'atee king may be able to help us."  
  
Ned stood up. "Let's get started then. Tilly, could you stay here with Rose? I think if Will here can talk to these people, that he should come with us."  
  
Before Tilly could answer, Edward jumped to his feet.  
  
"No!" he exclaimed. "Rose has to come with us. R'Tor said that when the time came to defeat the danger, all of us kids had to help." He turned to his Grandma. "Can't you come with us, too, Grandma Tilly? You know how to take care of Rosie the best of all. I know she'd be safe with you."  
  
Tilly looked at her husband. Challenger raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "I think Edward is right. We all need to stay together if this is the time to banish the danger and reclaim our plateau."  
  
It seemed to the grownups that, as hard as they had tried to keep their children from having to live in the strange and dangerous environment of the plateau, the plateau had found their children. Revelation upon revelation was having a strange affect on Veronica.  
  
She looked at Ned. "I feel it, too, Ned. I think the time for hiding is over. Jarl is right. We have to take a stand."  
  
She stood up and removed the small spectacles from her nose. It was as if eight years dropped away from her. Her eyes glinted with an internal light. Determination and strength flowed from her. For too long, the fear she felt for the safety of her children had held her hostage. But no longer. The very real danger to her daughter and friends was like a catalyst that broke the spell cast on her so long ago.  
  
Ned and Challenger rejoiced to see the Veronica of old return to them.  
  
Ned hugged her to him. "My Veronica," he breathed into her ear. She returned his hug with a fierceness that was a silent apology for all the years he had stood by her when she had retreated from the world that she loved, because her love for her children was so much greater.  
  
The bold, brash, strong, brave, beautiful woman who had captured his heart the first time he saw her was back.  
  
They broke apart to laugh at the grinning faces around them.  
  
"How can we lose now?" asked Challenger. "We have the future Protector of the Plateau on our side!"  
  
"Some Protector I'll be," Veronica muttered.  
  
"Will you go back to your jungle princess garb?" Ned joked to cheer her up.  
  
Edward's head jerked up at this description of his mother. Where had he heard it before? He frowned in concentration, but it was no use. He couldn't remember.  
  
Veronica laughed. "Please, Ned, I'm sure I couldn't fit into it again. I'm ten years older and two children bigger."  
  
Ned slid his arm around her. "Nonsense, you look just the same as the first time I saw you."  
  
Challenger walked over and helped Tilly to her feet.  
  
"Let's pack up and get started." Challenger ordered. His face glowed with excitement. "There are mysteries to be solved and friends to find. We must not dally."  
  
"You're right, George." Veronica said, already heading for the bedrooms. She stopped at the top of the stairs and turned back to her friends. "You know, I can't help wondering what happened in the balloon," she mused.  
  
**  
  
The chilly wind twirling her hair loose from her braids, Victoria Roxton leaned her elbows on the rim of the basket and looked down, for the first time, at what lay outside of the several acres that had been her home for all of her life. Her parents, who sat on stools on either side of her, stared down, too. It had been many years since they had traveled freely ( perhaps, foolhardy would be more accurate) through the dense jungle and open meadows and hills below.  
  
Victoria let out a long sigh. Still looking down so as not to miss anything, she said, with awe in her voice, "There's a whole world out here that I didn't know about." She looked to the horizon. "And another beyond this one and another beyond that."  
  
Her parents looked at each other over her dark head. Guilt was in their eyes as it always was when they thought of their decision to keep the children safe, but confined.  
  
Victoria turned shining eyes to her mother.  
  
"Oh, Mother," she said, "which way is London? And China? And America?" Before Marguerite could answer, she clasped her hands together and rested her chin on them, staring down again. "Oh, I do want to see them all!"  
  
She sat up abruptly and turned to her father. "Do you think I can, Dad? Do you think I'll ever get to see them?"  
  
Roxton put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. He looked again at Marguerite as he answered her. He bit his lip and breathed out through his nose. Really, he thought, they should have anticipated the impact this trip would have on Tori.  
  
"I can't tell you for sure, Tori. We'd all like to see them again, I think." At her disappointed look, he continued, "I'll tell you what, when we get back, let's talk about it some more. It's been awhile since we looked for a way home, and maybe it's time we started again."  
  
He reached across to put his hand on Marguerite's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  
  
"John," Marguerite said slowly, distracted by what she saw past the basket's rim. "The mountains seem so much closer than they did before. Don't you think?" Her voice became both puzzled and excited. "I could have sworn that they were at least a three-days journey from the treehouse, yet, there they are, just in front of us."  
  
Roxton leaned forward, his face taking on a puzzled frown as well.  
  
"You're right, Marguerite. What can it mean?"  
  
His sharp eyes scanned the hills below him and the sky above.  
  
"I haven't spotted any animals, either. Have you?"  
  
Marguerite gave an involuntary shiver.  
  
"Now that you mention it, I haven't. I wish George were here," she murmured. "He might be able to explain this."  
  
Roxton laughed. "Oh, he'd explain it all right."  
  
'I'm sure there's a logical, scientific explanation for all of this,' he mimicked. He laughed, again, "It's been awhile since we've heard him talk about the mysteries of the plateau."  
  
Marguerite had to chuckle at the memories of how their scientific friend would go on and on and on, expounding theory after theory.  
  
Tori had been looking back and forth between her parents during this exchange. She didn't understand exactly what they were talking about, but it sounded interesting.  
  
She opened her mouth to ask about these mysteries, when a cold gust of mountain air nearly blew her off of the stool. Her mother caught her and helped her back on.  
  
Roxton rubbed his arms against the sudden chill.  
  
"I guess it's time to break out the blankets, ladies." He moved over to the pile. "We'll all be snug and warm in just a minute."  
  
He lifted up the top blanket and froze. There, curled up next to each other, sound asleep, were Summer and.Alice. They were breathing quietly and their cheeks were rosy from the heat of the blankets. As John watched, the cold wind blew across them and they sat up, rubbing their eyes.  
  
"Oh, my God," whispered Marguerite.  
  
Tori wasn't quite so surprised. She frowned at her little sister. How like Summer, she thought. She always got what she wanted, and this time, she dragged poor Alice along with her.  
  
Alice sat up on the blankets, her arms wrapped around herself. She shivered, but was too nervous to say anything. She wasn't as timid as most people thought, but, sometimes, Aunt Marguerite's temper scared her.  
  
Summer didn't have any fear of her mother's temper. Her temper was so much worse. Besides, she knew how to handle her parents.  
  
She looked from her father's furious face to her mother's angry glare and gulped. Maybe she'd gone too far this time.  
  
"Summer Leigh Roxton, what do you have to say for yourself?" Marguerite thundered. Before Summer could reply, she turned to Alice.  
  
"Alice? Do your parents know you're up here? No, of course they don't," she answered herself. "What was I thinking?" she threw her arms into the air. "They would never dream that you would be so sneaky and disobedient without being led astray by our little terror."  
  
While Marguerite was venting her temper, Roxton had been wrapping everyone in blankets. He didn't trust himself to speak. Summer had really crossed the line this time. Her desire to always get her own way had gotten out of hand.  
  
Alice pulled the blanket more tightly around herself. Aunt Marguerite was really angry, but she had it all wrong. She took a deep breath.  
  
"Aunt Marguerite," she interrupted. "It wasn't Summer's fault.  
  
Marguerite and John stopped in surprise. It wasn't very often that they heard those words.  
  
Alice went on bravely.  
  
"I wanted to see what the inside of the basket looked like. Summer did too, but I'm older, I shouldn't have let her get in. So," she looked over at her friend, "if Summer's a little terror, then so am I."  
  
Alice's defense of her friend drained some of the anger out of Roxton and Marguerite. But not out of Tori.  
  
"Mom," she whined. "You're not going to let them get away with this, are you? You know that Summer wanted to go on MY lonely trip. She planned this all along. She should be punished. It isn't fair."  
  
Summer stuck out her lower lip. Her eyebrows turned down. She glared at her big sister.  
  
"You're mean, Tori," she said, her temper rising. "I didn't want to go on your old lonely trip. I just wanted to see inside the basket. You're being a.a.terror," she finished.  
  
"Summer," her mother said warningly. "Tori isn't the one in trouble."  
  
"Yeah, Summer, and I am not a terror," Tori said indignantly.  
  
"I think you should punish me, Aunt Marguerite," piped up Alice. "Really, I do."  
  
"No, Mommy, you should punish me," Summer demanded, seeing the spotlight moving away.  
  
"Enough!" Roxton shouted over the squabbling. "No one is going to be punished, at.this.time." He looked at his four year old daughter with one eyebrow raised.  
  
Summer wilted under that look.  
  
Roxton looked over at his wife, communicating with his eyes.  
  
"All right, then," he said, "we're turning around and taking our two stowaways home."  
  
Tori started to protest.  
  
Roxton held up his hand. "We're sorry, Tori, but Ned and Veronica must be frantic."  
  
He immediately started the procedures that Challenger had drilled into him to get the balloon going in the opposite direction, back to meadow.  
  
Summer, who was sitting beside Alice on the floor of the balloon, said in her sweetest voice, "Daddy, can me and Alice look over the side? Pleeeese!"  
  
Roxton glanced over at her.  
  
"Sorry, Summer. Bad behavior does not get rewarded. Why don't you just sit there and be verrrry quiet, like a teeny, tiny, little bug," he said, remembering Summer earlier promise.  
  
Summer stuck out her bottom lip and pulled the blanket up over her head. This part of her plan wasn't going nearly as well as she had hoped.  
  
Alice hunched down lower in her blanket, wishing she could disappear through the floor. She was totally mortified and ashamed. Here she was almost seven and she was following the lead of a four year old! How did she get into this? Peeking inside the basket hadn't seemed such a bad thing to do when they were doing it. Her mind raced on to thoughts of her parents. Uncle John was right. Her parents were probably very worried about her. And then there was her brother. Edward would be so mad at her. He warned her that Summer was trouble.  
  
Alice looked over at the little girl sitting next to her. All she could see were her nose and bottom lip sticking out of the hood of her blanket. Alice's kind heart went out to her. Summer did get into a lot of trouble, but it was only because she was so smart. The other kids didn't know just how smart she was. But Alice knew.  
  
Victoria was, once again, leaning her arms on the rim of the basket. But, this time, she wasn't looking in wonder at the world below. She was trying to hold back her tears.  
  
Marguerite put her arm around her. She knew just how disappointed she was feeling. She was very close to her eldest daughter and found that, at times, she could almost read her mind.  
  
"It's all right, Tori, darling," she whispered in her ear. "Once we drop off the little terrors, we'll get right back in the balloon and continue your lonely trip." She lowered her voice even more. "And if we don't get back until really late, we'll fly the balloon home by moonlight."  
  
Tori turned shinning eyes up to her adored mother. "Have you ever been in the balloon at night?" she asked.  
  
"No, I haven't, but it should be very exciting, don't you think?"  
  
Tori nodded, happily. Her mother made her feel like one of the grown ups.  
  
Just then, Roxton let out a curse and said, "What the.?"  
  
"What is it, John?" Marguerite asked.  
  
"It's these bloody controls. I can't seem to turn the balloon."  
  
"Are you sure you're doing it right? George did say it was tricky." She moved to stand beside him.  
  
Frustrated, Roxton grumbled, "Of course I'm doing it right. I'm following his exact instructions."  
  
"Here," Marguerite said, "let me try."  
  
"I really don't think you can do it, Marguerite, if I can't. You were barely listening to him."  
  
"Well, he did go on, so," she said defensively. "If you'd just move over, I could take a look."  
  
She bumped him with her hip, and he bumped back.  
  
"Really, Marguerite, why don't you just watch the children and I'll handle this."  
  
"Watch the children! Do you think becoming a mother has addled my brain? I can do a lot more than "just watch the children", she shouted.  
  
Tori rolled her eyes. Her parents loved to argue. At times, they sounded just like Will and Summer.  
  
The wind picked up and blew so strongly that, once again, Tori was blown off the stool. Roxton looked over at her.  
  
"Sit down and hold on, Tori," he shouted over the howl of the wind.  
  
The ten-year-old made her unsteady way over to the little girls huddled in their blankets. She sat down between them and put her arms around both their shoulders.  
  
She had always been the little mother to the younger children and she couldn't stand to see them so sad.  
  
"Close your eyes, my sweet ones," she said softly, sounding so much like her mother that Summer looked up at her sharply. Seeing the look in Tori's eyes, she quickly snuggled into her embrace. Alice was already leaning hard against her other side.  
  
Marguerite grabbed Roxton's arm and pointed. The balloon was headed right towards the mountains!  
  
Together, their quarrel forgotten, they worked feverishly at the controls. Nothing they did made any difference. The balloon was out of their control.  
  
The mountain loomed ahead of them, rugged, sharp peaks reaching out to tear into the balloon. Roxton could see in his mind's eye the basket bouncing and tumbling down the side of the mountain, turning over and over as it made its inexorable descent.  
  
He put his hand on his wife's arm as she continued her fruitless manipulation of the levers.  
  
"Come on, Marguerite," he shouted over the wind. "We can't stop it. Help me strap in the children."  
  
She looked at her husband. She knew that he wasn't one to give up if there was even one spark of hope.  
  
She clutched his arm with both of her hands, her eyes telling him what was in her heart. He nodded and kissed her quickly.  
  
They moved swiftly to the children and, taking a rope out of one of the boxes, looped it around the stricken children and fastened it securely to the basket struts. Then, Marguerite sat down beside Alice and John tied her to the basket, too. She pulled all three children as close to her as she could.  
  
"Hold tightly to me, my sweet ones," she said softly. "The ride is going to get very bumpy."  
  
Swiftly, in a last ditch effort to change the balloons course, Roxton picked up one of the heavier boxes and balanced it on the rim of the basket. With a shove, he sent it over the side. He leaned over the rim and watched as it crash on a jagged outcrop far below.  
  
He turned to pick up another box, when Marguerite called frantically to him.  
  
"John, leave it. Tie yourself in beside Summer. We'll ride this out together."  
  
"One more, my love," he shouted, bending down again. As he straightened, box in hand, the balloon suddenly began to rise swiftly.  
  
"It worked!" Roxton shouted. "I think it's working!"  
  
He set the box down and stood up frowning.  
  
"But, how could it? I barely lightened the load at all," he muttered.  
  
Yet, there was no mistaking it. The basket was already skimming over the highest peak.  
  
Marguerite untied herself and moved to stand beside her husband.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
Her daughters called to her at the same time. She looked down at them.  
  
"Can we get up, now, Mommy?" asked Summer.  
  
Her father answered. "Stay where you are, girls. We aren't out of the woods, yet."  
  
Summer's eyes widened. Her mouth formed a little round oh.  
  
Tori looked over at her sister and sighed. "No, Summer. Dad doesn't think we're in the woods. It's just an expression."  
  
Summer blinked. "I know that," she said hastily.  
  
Alice put her hand over her mouth and giggled.  
  
The balloon, quite of its own accord, lifted them up and over several more mountain peaks before it started descending towards a grassy mountain meadow.  
  
John and Marguerite looked at each other in consternation. They knew that they weren't in control of the balloon, but they wondered just who was.  
  
Gently, slowly, softly, the balloon set them down in the meadow.  
  
The girls wiggled out of the confining ropes and started to stand up until Roxton told them to sit still.  
  
"But, Dad." Tori started to say, but her mother cut her off.  
  
"Now, Tori, don't argue. We need you all to cooperate. Please stay down until we see what's going on."  
  
Grumbling, the girls sat back down.  
  
"Come here, Marguerite," Roxton said, motioning her over. "Is that a cave entrance over there? It's hard to make out. It could be shadows on the rocks." he said, trailing off as he squinted at the mountain side.  
  
"If it is a cave, I hope nothing horrible lives in it," shuddered Marguerite.  
  
Just as John began to say, "I haven't seen anything moving--", the basket was suddenly surrounded by a throng of pale, thin people, who stared at them silently.  
  
John and Marguerite jumped back, startled. It was as if these wraiths had formed out of the air.  
  
"What the hell?" Roxton yelped. "Where did they come from?"  
  
As sudden as their appearance had been, Roxton felt no threat from them. Marguerite hadn't gone into defensive mode either. They looked at each other, curiosity, not panic, on their faces.  
  
Alice and Victoria jumped up.  
  
"Look, Tori," said Alice, excitedly, "it's the Sw'atee!"  
  
Smiling with delight, Alice and Tori stepped forward.  
  
John put out his arm to hold them back.  
  
"Do you two know these people?" he asked incredulously.  
  
Both girls nodded.  
  
"They're the Sw'atee, Dad," answered Victoria.  
  
"They're very nice, Uncle John," Alice said. She smiled and waggled her fingers at them.  
  
"How do you know who they are, girls?" asked Marguerite.  
  
"We met them at the bottom of the cliff. Behind the targets," Alice added, helpfully. "K'dell was the first one we met, and then we met Me'hyar, and then M'stri."  
  
"No, Alice," Tori disagreed. "We met M'stri before we met Me'hyar."  
  
Alice put her finger to her chin in thought.  
  
"You're right, Tori," she said, then giggled. "R'tor always got them mixed up, didn't he?"  
  
"Wait a minute, here," Roxton said in disbelief. "Are you two making this up?"  
  
"No, Dad. It's true." Tori assured him.  
  
Marguerite, who had been distracted by a low-pitched whispering sound, looked down at the girls in puzzlement.  
  
"Who is R'tor?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, he's their king," Tori told her. "He's very, very old. Even older then Grandpa."  
  
Summer slid up next to her mother and leaned against her leg.  
  
Roxton's head was spinning. He turned to his middle daughter  
  
"Well, Summer, I suppose you know these people, too." he asked resignedly.  
  
Summer frowned. "I don't know who they are, Daddy." She brightened. "But I'd like to meet them."  
  
Roxton shook his head and looked over at Marguerite, who was again looking out at the several dozen Sw'atee around the them and listening intently.  
  
"What do you hear, Marguerite?" he asked, his irritation evident in his voice. Truth be told, he was irritation with himself. His family might still be in danger, and, carelessly, he had left his rifle packed away in one of the boxes. The years inside the protection of the electric fence had dulled his survival instincts, he thought.  
  
"Shhhh," she said. She moved closer to the side of the basket, dragging Summer, who still was holding her leg, with her.  
  
"Marguerite? This is no time to go into a trance," he warned.  
  
He was getting totally exasperated with the situation. He didn't like the children hiding such a potentially dangerous secret from him, and he certainly didn't like the feeling that he was in the dark about what was going on. His wife was staring at these people as if they were the most interesting beings on the plateau, and the two older girls were flirting with them, well, smiling and giggling and waving at them, anyway. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.  
  
"Stop doing that," he snapped at them.  
  
They frowned at him, but stopped.  
  
"John," Marguerite called excitedly. "I can understand what they're saying!"  
  
Roxton frowned. "I don't hear them talking."  
  
"Listen!"  
  
Dutifully, John cocked his ear towards the Sw'atee and strained to hear them.  
  
"All I can hear is the wind blowing,"  
  
"That's them. They speak in whispers."  
  
Roxton looked more closely at them.  
  
"They're not even moving their lips," he argued.  
  
"The sounds come from their throats," Marguerite told him.  
  
"Okay," he said. When she just stood there, he asked her, in what he hoped was a patient voice.  
  
"Well, don't keep us all in suspense. What are they saying?"  
  
"They want to take us to their king."  
  
She listened again.  
  
"Well, how can this be? They say that he's expecting us!"  
  
"Oh, goody," Alice enthused. "We get to meet R'tor!"  
  
Victoria grinned and nodded.  
  
"Hold on just a minute," John said. "I thought you said that you'd met this R'tor already."  
  
"We only talked to him when he was in the water, Dad. We've never really met him."  
  
John raised one eyebrow at her.  
  
"Before we go anywhere, we need to know what has been going on." He looked at his remarkable wife. "Can you tell them that we need a few minutes?"  
  
"I think so," she told him.  
  
She leaned slightly over the rim and made blowing, whispering noises in her throat. The Sw'atee standing closest to her made similar sounds. Marguerite nodded her head at them.  
  
As quickly as they had appeared, they suddenly weren't there. Roxton blinked his eyes. Looking quickly around the meadow, he saw them standing over by the cave entrance.  
  
"Fast little devils, aren't they," he muttered.  
  
As quickly as they could, Tori and Alice told their story. They were anxious to see R'tor.  
  
When they had finished, Summer, who had enjoyed their story, laughed, clapped her hands and asked, "What happened next?"  
  
"We don't know what's going to happen, Summer," her sister said impatiently. "It hasn't happened, yet."  
  
Roxton shook his head in wonder for what seemed like the thousandth time.  
  
"Well, if this R'tor thinks the children are going any where near the danger, then we need to set him straight," Marguerite fumed.  
  
"Damn right!" Roxton agreed.  
  
Marguerite made a whistling, blowing noise in her throat and, just as suddenly as before, the basket was surrounded by the Sw'atee.  
  
Marguerite talked to them for a minute and then said, "Let's go. They say that R'tor is waiting."  
  
Roxton leaped out of the basket and helped Marguerite climb out. The two little girls squealed as he lifted them over the rim. He turned back for Tori and found her kneeling on the floor of the basket, seemingly rooting around in the blankets for something.  
  
"Leave it, Tori," her father called. "Let's go."  
  
"Coming, Dad," she answered, giving the corner of the basket one last look.  
  
When they were all out, some of the Sw'atee led them towards the cave. These Sw'atee moved slowly in deference to their guests. The other ones had no such restriction. They moved so fast, that they seemed to blink in and out of existence.  
  
As the Roxtons and Alice vanished into the shadow of the cave, the Sw'atee still in the meadow, began lifting the boxes, blankets and other supplies out of the basket. Within minutes, the basket was empty save for three Sw'atee who proceeded to work the controls until the basket rose into the air and swiftly disappeared over the tall mountain peaks.  
  
Inside the cave, the adults held the children tightly by the hand, not because they felt fear for their safety, but because the girls had quickly shown a tendency to dart off to explore the beautiful, glittering crystals that adorned the walls of the passageways.  
  
Marguerite held herself tightly in check. She, too, would like to go exploring. She was very fond of gemstones herself.  
  
Roxton noticed her longing looks and whispered to her out the side of his mouth.  
  
"Now, now, Marguerite. Must set a good example for the children, you know."  
  
She glared at him, but said nothing.  
  
They were led down, up and through the winding, twisting passageways until they were deep inside the mountains. Occasionally, when she started to whine, Roxton would hoist Summer onto his shoulders. Alice and Victoria were too excited at the prospect of meeting R'tor in person to feel the fatigue of the long walk. There was something about the old Sw'atee king that had captured their hearts.  
  
Once in a while, a group of Sw'atee would suddenly appear near them. Watching and silent, the group never stayed long, but disappeared in a mere blink of an eye. When this had happened several times, Marguerite remarked that she was beginning to feel like a rare exhibit in an underground zoo.  
  
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Roxton whispered when they had been walking for a good twenty minutes.  
  
Just then, they turned a corner and entered a large chamber that contained seats and tables carved from stone and covered by bright cloth and pillows.  
  
"Too late," Marguerite whispered back.  
  
At the far end of the room, four Sw'atee stood guard around a pile of colorful pillows that almost hid the wide, squat figure of their ruler.  
  
As the five of them approached, the Sw'atee king's white-bearded face peeked out from the depth of the pile and a jolly, familiar voice sang out to them.  
  
"Welcome, my dears. It's so good to see you both again."  
  
"ARTHUR SUMMERLEE!" John and Marguerite gasped.  
  
  
  
(TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 3) 


	3. Well Met

Chapter Three: Well Met  
  
Roxton and Marguerite stood with their mouths gaping open. The shock of seeing their long, lost friend alive temporarily robbed them of speech.  
  
The children had no such trouble. With a shout of joy, Alice and Victoria ran over and hugged the old man around his neck.  
  
Summer stood back. She didn't know this man and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. He was so very old!  
  
After hugging both girls and commenting on Alice's change in appearance - "I thought for a moment there that you were your dear brother Edward!" --, Summerlee looked over at the youngest girl, who was standing at a distance. She had one eyebrow raised in consternation and a slight scowl on her face. How many times had he seen that same look on her father's face? He held out his hand and beckoned her over.  
  
She approached him hesitatingly, but allowed him to take her hand.  
  
"So, this is my little namesake! How very kind of you to remember me," he said, looking up at Marguerite and Roxton.  
  
He turned back to the little girl.  
  
"You know that my name is Summerlee, too. We have the same name."  
  
Summer frowned. "I thought your name was R'tor," she said suspiciously.  
  
He laughed. "It is. And it's also Arthur.'  
  
Summer had been puzzling something out.  
  
"How can your name be Summer Leigh? You're a boy," she said, very sure of herself.  
  
"I can see that you are a very good thinker," he chuckled.  
  
Summer smiled at him. "Yes, I am," she agreed. She liked him.  
  
Marguerite found her voice.  
  
"Arthur, how on earth did you get here? And why didn't you let us know that you were alive?"  
  
"Now, now, Marguerite, there will be plenty of time to hear my story. But first, we need to discuss the reason I brought you here."  
  
"You brought us here?" Roxton exclaimed. He shook his head. "I have to admit, Summerlee, that I am completely overwhelmed."  
  
Summerlee chuckled, again. "As I was, John, when I found out that you and Marguerite had four children! I never would have predicted such a thing. Why, the last time I saw you two together, you were quarreling and arguing."  
  
"They still do that," Summer assured him.  
  
Summerlee cocked his head to one side. "Well, they must have stopped a few times." His eyes slid over to look at the children.  
  
"Really, Arthur," murmured Marguerite.  
  
As her excitement died down, Victoria realized that her parents were talking to R'tor as if they were well acquainted. She turned a puzzled frown towards her parents. "Mom, Dad, how do you know R'tor?"  
  
Marguerite put her hand on Tori's shoulder. "Arthur Summerlee is an old friend of ours, Tori. A long time ago, before any of you were born, he lived with us all in Aunt Veronica's treehouse."  
  
"Really?" breathed Alice. Her eyes were round with excitement. The Sw'atee king used to live in her treehouse! Just wait until Edward heard that, she thought.  
  
Roxton broke in. His tone was testy as he asked, "Why don't you tell us what's going on here, Arthur. It seems our children are involved in something potentially dangerous."  
  
Summerlee waved him off. "All in good time, John. All in good time. We'll just wait for the others, shall we? No use in telling everything twice."  
  
Suddenly concerned, he turned to Victoria and asked, "You did get word to Edward, didn't you, my dear?"  
  
"Of course," Victoria nodded.  
  
"Ah, I knew you would figure it out. You children are very clever, indeed." He rubbed his hands together cheerfully. "Well, that's all right then. They'll all be here soon."  
  
Roxton and Marguerite were giving a very good imitation of a volcano about to erupt.  
  
Summerlee went on, "This is truly a momentous occasion." He beamed at the fuming couple. "All of us together again. I can hardly wait to see the others."  
  
"Enough!" Marguerite exploded. "You'd better tell us what's going on right this minute, Arthur, or we're taking the children and leaving."  
  
Summerlee actually smiled at her.  
  
"I see that time hasn't tamed that hot temper of yours, Marguerite. It's good to know that some things never change."  
  
"Come, girls," Marguerite growled. "We're leaving."  
  
Roxton picked up Summer and headed towards the opening. Marguerite pulled the older two girls along after him.  
  
"Wait! Wait!" Summerlee exclaimed. "You mustn't leave. I promise to tell you everything as soon as the others arrive."  
  
Roxton turned back.  
  
"What others, Arthur? Who are you waiting for?"  
  
Summerlee looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Well, I thought you knew. We're waiting for Ned and Veronica and Challenger."  
  
At their incredulous looks, he hastened to reassure them.  
  
"Oh, and the children, too, of course. Everything depends on them, after all."  
  
Marguerite and Roxton looked at each other. Roxton slowly lowered Summer to the ground.  
  
He sighed.  
  
"I guess we'd better stay and hear this," he said to his wife.  
  
"Well, it had better be good," she said, glaring at their old friend.  
  
"I assure you, my dear, that it will more than meet your expectations."  
  
An uncomfortable silence followed.  
  
The old man leaned over and whispered to three of his Sw'atee and they disappeared, only to return seconds later carrying the boxes and bags that they had taken from the balloon.  
  
"These are our things! How did you ---?" Marguerite exclaimed.  
  
"Please," he interrupted her. "Please sit down, all of you. We might as well make ourselves comfortable, eh."  
  
With some misgivings, Roxton and Marguerite motioned for the girls to sit on the cushions the Sw'atee had arranged on the floor. They then sat down themselves.  
  
"Splendid!" the old man applauded. "Now, you must be hungry. Let's have a meal while we talk."  
  
He cocked his head over and looked at the three young girls sitting so quietly on the soft pillows.  
  
"A little bird told me that today is someone's special day. Now, which one of you lovely ladies was that bird talking about?"  
  
"I know! The bird was talking about Tori. It's Tori' birthday today," Summer told him excitedly. "She's ten!"  
  
"Ahh," said Summerlee with a twinkle in his eye. "The Lady Victoria."  
  
Tori blushed.  
  
"Ten years old! A momentous occasion, indeed," he said. He looked around happily. "My word, it's been a long time since I attended a birthday party."  
  
Marguerite could contain herself no longer.  
  
"Really, Summerlee, this is no time for a party. We need to know what danger we're in and we need to know now!"  
  
Summerlee focused his pale, myopic eyes on his old friends. There was no sign of the garrulous, doddering old man in them now. His voice was as cold as the top of the mountain they were sitting under and as strong as stones that held it up. He spoke to them in a voice they had never heard him use before.  
  
"We will wait for the others, Marguerite. Rest assured, there is no danger where we are."  
  
Marguerite and Roxton exchanged a meaningful glance and subsided. There was something very different and strangely awe-inspiring about Arthur. Their old teddy bear had developed teeth!  
  
Into the silence the sound of a small throat clearing was heard.  
  
"There's probably some cake in the picnic basket," Victoria told him shyly. She looked over at her mother to see if she had guessed right.  
  
Marguerite couldn't help smiling at her daughter. It was her birthday, after all. And, what a birthday it was turning out to be!  
  
"Tori, I think that we'd better eat the sandwiches and fruit first. We'll save the cake until everyone is here."  
  
The girls looked disappointed, but Roxton looked relieved. As much as he loved his wife, he still had a hard time appreciating all of her cooking. He usually made the birthday cakes for the family, but this time Marguerite had insisted on baking it herself. He mentally crossed his fingers that no one would get sick.  
  
Marguerite stood up and handed out lunch. Hesitantly, she carried a sandwich and a banana over to Summerlee. Looking into his dear, familiar face, a wave of nostalgia swept over her. She knelt down and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
"It's so good to see you, Arthur," she murmured into his ear. "I missed you."  
  
"There, there, my dear," he said awkwardly, as he patted her back. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say."  
  
As Marguerite tearfully stood up, Roxton walked over and stuck out his hand.  
  
"Indeed, Arthur, you were sorely missed," he said sincerely, smiling and shaking hands with this old friend.  
  
With the air cleared and good feelings restored, they settled down and enjoyed the picnic lunch.  
  
***  
  
Having decided to find the Sw'atee and ask for their help, Ned and Veronica made short work of packing supplies into their backpacks. They tried to include something for any contingency.  
  
Edward begged and pleaded with his parents to let him go down to the ground for something he needed to pack. Challenger volunteered to go with him, but Ned gave Edward permission to go by himself. The scientist's shrugged and busied himself repacking his backpack to be sure his scientific gadgets were all safely stowed. Tilly fed Rosie a bottle and handed out sandwiches to everyone.  
  
When everything was packed to their satisfaction, the four adults and three children hurried over to the Roxton treehouse. Tilly packed a bag for Rosie and helped Will pack his.  
  
Then, moving as fast as they could, the explorers headed for the meadow. They were going to look there first and see if they could get some information from R'tor through his "magic water."  
  
Edward bounced with excitement as they strode onto the grassy field.  
  
"I'll show you just where we go to talk to R'tor," he promised.  
  
"Race you, Edward!" Will shouted, running past the older boy.  
  
"Come back here, you two," Veronica yelled after the boys, who were halfway across the field.  
  
"Edward!" Ned called to his son. His voice was one he didn't have to use very often, but Edward knew that he'd better obey.  
  
"Coming, Dad," he called as he changed direction and loped back to his parents. Grumbling, Will came with him.  
  
Ned, who was carrying the baby in the specially designed backpack Roxton had made for her, smiled as Rosie gurgled and reached over his shoulder towards her brother.  
  
As Will came up to the adults, Rosie waved her arms and blew wet bubbles.  
  
"Okay, okay, Rosie," Will said grudgingly. He looked up at his adopted uncle. "Uncle Ned, Rosie thinks we should hurry. She says that something bad is coming."  
  
"Sure, Will," Ned said, condescendingly, winking at Veronica. "Rosie's quite a talker."  
  
"I would listen to him, Dad," Edward said earnestly. "Will can understand what Rosie is saying."  
  
While this exchange was going on, Rosie, leaning back as far as she could, was looking up at the sky. She pointed up and chattered loudly.  
  
Challenger held on to his hat as he, too, looked upwards.  
  
"Ah, Ned," he said slowly. "I think we would all be wise to listen to Rosie. I don't know what that is up there, but it seems to be coming right towards us."  
  
At his words, they all looked up into a sky that was fast darkening with gray clouds piling up, blocking out the sun. The roiling mass was shot through with the electric gold of lighting that, to Challenger's wild imagination, turned into the glowing eyes of a beast. As a tremendous rumble of thunder shook the ground under them, they all stared running across the meadow to find cover.  
  
They squeezed between the jagged rocks that had fallen from the cliff face, desperately seeking shelter, but there was nowhere to hide. Just as Veronica was going to suggest that they make a run for the protection of the jungle, a female figure stepped out from behind a rock and motioned for them to follow her.  
  
"K'dell!" exclaimed Edward. "Mom, Dad, it's K'dell!"  
  
The pale, thin woman murmured softly to them.  
  
"She wants us to go with her," Will said. He listened intently as she whistled in her throat. He whispered back to her. "She says that she will show us the way to R'tor," he translated for them excitedly. He listened again. "Oh, my," he gasped, turning to the others. "She says she'll take us to my Mom and Dad!"  
  
Challenger looked up at the dark, ominous sky, hovering menacingly over them, its beast-like eyes glowing even brighter. "Tell her to lead the way, my boy," he croaked. "Tell her to lead the way."  
  
As Will spoke to the Sw'atee, she waved her hand behind her and a cave opening shimmered into view against the cliff face.  
  
Without another word, they quickly scrambled after her as a snaking flash of pure energy leapt down from the sky and exploded the field behind them.  
  
***  
  
The cavern walls echoed with unaccustomed sound.  
  
"I did so see A'mit."  
  
"That was Me'hyar"  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Was so!"  
  
"Waaa, mum-mum-mum, waaa!"  
  
"There, there, little Rose. We will feed you soon."  
  
"Please, boys. Stay with us!"  
  
"My word, these crystal walls are fascinating. Look up there, Tilly."  
  
Hearing the familiar voices, John and Marguerite jumped up and hurried out the chamber opening. They wanted to prepare the others for what (or who) they were about to see.  
  
At the sight of their two friends popping out of opening ahead of them, Ned stopped in surprise.  
  
"Marguerite, John!" he exclaimed in voice in which curiosity and relief were equally mixed. "We were told you were in the caves. How on earth did you get here?"  
  
Veronica overcame her surprise quickly. Her anxiety about her daughter caused her voice to come out sharply.  
  
"Is Alice with you? Is she all right?"  
  
Before they could answer, the girls burst through the door and Alice ran, yelling with joy, to her parents, and poor tired, hungry Rosie saw her mother and reached out to her, crying even louder.  
  
The dim, stony passageway was the scene of total pandemonium. Everyone was talking at once, asking questions, answering questions, crying, hugging, kissing, exclaiming, boasting, and arguing.  
  
Finally, the girls took the boys back into the large chamber so that they could meet R'tor, and their parents and grandparents were able to talk in the sudden quiet.  
  
Roxton put his hand on Challenger's shoulder. He wanted to lessen the shock to his old friend, if he could. Summerlee and Challenger had started off as bitter rivals, but had become great friends.  
  
"George, old boy," he began. He gathered Ned and Veronica in with his look. "I want to prepare you for a surprise. A very happy surprise, I might add." He looked at his friends carefully to see their reaction. They looked at him with puzzled expressions on their faces.  
  
"Well, you have heard about R'tor, I presume? Well, of course you have. I'm sure Edward told you all about him."  
  
"He's the king of the Sw'atee, right?" Veronica said.  
  
"Right, right," Roxton said. "But, well, I have some other news about him, too."  
  
Roxton was having a hard time getting to the point.  
  
"Oh, stop dithering, John," broke in Marguerite, annoyed. She faced her friends. "He's Arthur."  
  
At her friends' blank looks, she sighed. "Arthur Summerlee," she said slowly. She waited for their reaction.  
  
"Nonsense!" Challenger huffed. "Arthur died over ten years ago."  
  
With a small exclamation, Ned and Veronica, who had learned to believe the impossible, rushed through the entrance to R'tor's chamber.  
  
Challenger looked after them, then turned back to the others.  
  
"Are you trying to tell me that R'tor is some sort of apparition? The ghost of Summerlee?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes, yes," Roxton said excitedly. At a look from Marguerite, he corrected himself. "Well, no. No, George. He isn't the ghost of Summerlee. He really is Summerlee."  
  
"Nonsense," Challenger said again, though without conviction in his voice.  
  
Tilly took his arm.  
  
"Come, George. Let us go see your old friend," she said gently.  
  
Challenger, still muttering, allowed her to lead him through the entrance.  
  
Marguerite sighed and hoisted the now sleeping Rosie higher on her hip. At the slight disturbance, the baby stuck her two middle fingers in her mouth and sucked noisily.  
  
"Would you like me to carry her?" John offered. His voice was full of tenderness.  
  
"That's all right." Marguerite smiled down at her youngest daughter and kissed her soft curls, breathing in her sweet baby smell. "I want to hold her for a while."  
  
Roxton put his hand on Marguerite's other shoulder and leaned in to kiss the baby, too. He looked into his wife's eyes.  
  
"Any regrets?" he asked.  
  
"Not one," she said softly.  
  
Marguerite's last pregnancy was a big surprise to them and not an altogether welcomed one. They hadn't planned on having any more children after Summer was born. Tilly had warned them that, at her age, she might have a hard time of it. And she had. But, Margaret Rose was worth it. She brought so much happiness to everyone. Even Summer, who was finally a big sister herself, showed no jealousy---well, not much, anyway.  
  
John and Marguerite shared a contented smile, and followed after the others.  
  
***  
  
Inside the chamber, Ned, Veronica, Challenger, Tilly, and Edward were sitting around Summerlee, bombarding the old man with question after question, all of which he evaded, firmly stating that he would wait and answer all of their questions at the same time.  
  
As Marguerite and Roxton walked back into R'tor's chamber, they were immediately drawn into an argument among the children.  
  
Summer, her bottom lip stuck out, her cheeks smeared with icing and cake crumbs, was standing with her arms folded across her chest, a terrible scowl on her face.  
  
Will and Victoria were standing facing her, a familiar look of outrage and exasperation on their faces.  
  
Alice was standing to one side. She knew all the signs of a Roxton row, and she was deciding in which direction to run. She sighed with relief when Aunt Marguerite and Uncle John came in. Quickly, she walked away and sat down close beside her mother.  
  
  
  
Alice had recently asked her mother why the Roxton family argued and yelled so much. They were so different from her family, who rarely raised their voices. "Don't they love each other?" she had asked. Her mother had stared at Alice as if her question was one she found hard to explain.  
  
"Indeed they do, Sweetheart," she'd answered. "I've never seen a family who care for each other so much." She had paused, then said, "I believe that the Roxtons are very --- passionate people. Smart, brave and independent people, who feel strongly about things and are not shy about expressing those feelings." She had looked down at Alice, smiled and pulled her close. "The way they behave might be scary sometimes, but there are no better people to have around in times of trouble or times of happiness. They'll always be there when you need them." She'd laughed again. "Of course, you'll have to listen to them lecture you and put up with their "I told you so's."  
  
Alice had laughed, too. "That's what Tori is always saying."  
  
  
  
Now, sitting is a cave, deep under a mountain, Alice remembered what her mother had said. She sighed. She loved her friends, but she was glad that Edward was her brother and that she had her kind of parents.  
  
Meanwhile, her friends and their parents were "discussing" a problem.  
  
"Mommy said we could eat it when the others got here," Summer reminded them. "Well, they're here!"  
  
"Yeah," protested Will, "but she didn't mean that you could eat it all yourself!"  
  
"You knew what Mom meant, Summer. You're just acting like you didn't. Really, Summer, you're such a baby sometimes," Tori said haughtily, tossing her head.  
  
"I am not a baby! I'm a big girl! Summer was enraged. Her sister knew just what buttons to push to get Summer's fiery temper to flare up.  
  
Roxton held up his hand to Marguerite to stop her from stepping in. While Summer could beguile him with her cleverness and affection, she had never been able to manipulate him, as she did her mother, with her bad temper. He knew only too well that Summer's temper tantrum could escalate into an eruption that would ignite everyone else's temper. Summer may take after him in looks, but her temperament she got straight from her mother.  
  
He stooped down by Summer and looked into her burning eyes. "That's enough, young lady," he said sternly. "That was very naughty of you to eat your sister's birthday cake."  
  
The little girl glared back into her father's eyes. What she saw there was enough to give her stomach its first small squirm of guilt.  
  
At some level, Summer knew that she had done something very wrong, but the temptation of the birthday cake sitting in the basket had been too much for her. While the others were talking to R'tor, she had pulled Alice over to sit beside the picnic basket. At first, she had only eaten a small pinch of the cake. It had tasted so good though, that the pinch soon became a chunk. Alice firmly shook her head when Summer had offered her a sticky, gooey handful. Although Alice was tempted, after the stowaway incident she didn't want to get involved in any more of her friend's escapades.  
  
Summer didn't like her first feeling of guilt and she really didn't like the disappointed look in her father's eyes.  
  
"I didn't eat it all," she protested, the anger leaking out of her. Then she hung her head and whispered under her breath, "And I am not a baby."  
  
"Well, you know," Roxton said, gently, "big girls apologize when they do something wrong."  
  
Summer looked up at him sharply. Then a grin spread across her face. She whirled around and grabbed Tori in a fierce hug. Tori yelped.  
  
"I'm very, very, very sorry, Tori," Summer said, her voice dripping with sincerity. "I was a very naughty girl to eat your birthday cake, and I'm not going to do that any, any more. Never!"  
  
Tori looked helplessly up at her father. He shrugged.  
  
"Take what you can get, Victoria, my dear. Take what you can get."  
  
Tori rolled her eyes and pushed none too gently away from Summer's boa like embrace.  
  
"Okay, Summer," she said resignedly. "But I hope you've learned a lesson," she couldn't help adding.  
  
But Summer ignored her and looked hopefully up at her father.  
  
"Am I a big girl, now, Daddy?" she asked.  
  
Roxton couldn't repress a chuckle. "You're getting bigger every day, my Little Terror," he said lovingly.  
  
Victoria slipped her hand into her mother's.  
  
"Four year olds are such pains, aren't they, Mother?" she signed dramatically, speaking from her lofty ten year old view.  
  
"They do have a lot to learn," agreed Marguerite. She and Tori shared an identical smile.  
  
Meanwhile, Will, hearing that there was still some cake left, had wasted no time in pulling the mangled remains out of the picnic basket. He was well into his second handful, when Tori saw what he was doing.  
  
"You're not going to eat that?" she asked, looking down at the gooey mess. "It's disgusting!"  
  
Will shrugged his shoulders. "Still tastes good," he mumbled with his mouth full.  
  
Roxton took the plate from him and set on a high rocky shelf out of his reach.  
  
"Sorry, old boy. But that cake has caused enough problems, already. Let's go sit with the others."  
  
Roxton was still a little concerned about how digestible his wife's cake would prove to be for the children. He had lived through not a few upset stomachs while she was learning to cook. "Have to keep an eye on those two," he thought to himself.  
  
The Roxtons found seats on the floor beside the others. The children were given a drink and Rosie woke up long enough to have a bottle. Then the three little Roxtons snuggled into the soft cushions and fell sound asleep.  
  
While this was going on, Summerlee and Veronica were deep in conversation.  
  
"I missed you so much, Arthur. I felt that I had lost another member of my family."  
  
"You know, I always had a special place in my heart for you, my dear. You remind my so much of my late wife. When I first met her, she had long, golden hair just like yours." He looked at her with true affection. Then he smiled.  
  
"Strange, I see that your hair is now a lovely shade of red, and you have changed your, how should I say this? Ah, wardrobe Yes, you look very much like a bonny, Irish lass." He chuckled at his own wit.  
  
"My, my," he continued. "If I had known that you and Alice were dressing up, I would have thrown a masquerade party!" He laughed again. Then grew serious. "Tell me, dear Veronica, why have you disguised yourself?"  
  
Veronica looked over at the children who were listening in fascination to their conversation. She squirmed uncomfortably.  
  
"It was necessary that - " she coughed, "that I change my looks so that-" She cleared her throat, "so that I wouldn't be recognized."  
  
"I see," Summerlee said slowly. "Just like Alice."  
  
Veronica whipped her head around to stare at him.  
  
Seeing that everyone was settled, he slapped his knees and began. "If everyone is ready, I'll tell you why I brought you all here."  
  
He looked around at the assembly. He couldn't help smiling with joy. "My, it is wonderful to have you all here," he beamed. "I didn't realize just how lonely I was."  
  
They smiled back at him. They, too, were feeling as if their little circle was, at last, complete.  
  
Veronica, with an effort, regained her poise and spoke up.  
  
"Arthur, why don't you first tell us how you came to be here," she suggested. "I don't think we can concentrate until our curiosity is satisfied."  
  
"Hear, hear!" agreed Challenger. Marguerite and Roxton nodded.  
  
Summerlee signed resignedly. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to postpone our discussion for a little while. But, mind you, we mustn't put it off too long."  
  
The adults settled more comfortably into the pillows they were sitting on and the older children sat beside each other between their parents. The children were curious to hear how their parents knew the Sw'atee king. Edward, since Alice had whispered the news to him, was especially keen to hear about the time he lived in their treehouse.  
  
"There is one thing I want to tell you right away," Arthur began. "The reason I haven't contacted you in all these years is that I didn't remember anything about my life with you until about a fortnight ago."  
  
"What happened, Arthur, that you couldn't remember us?" asked Ned.  
  
"All in good time, Ned. All in good time," the old man said. He was tickled to see that Ned's reporter instincts were just as sharp as ever.  
  
"Now,' he said, cocking his head towards the children, "have you told the children about our adventures on the plateau?"  
  
The five other explorers looked guiltily at each other.  
  
"Well, not everything," Veronica told him, her voice full of meaning. She caught his eye and tried to convey to him that the subject was one that was best left alone.  
  
He nodded slowly. "Ah, I see." He thought for a moment. "They will have to know about Tribune and my last encounter with him. I hope that won't be a problem?"  
  
The parents consulted each other with their eyes, while the children's eyes were wide with curiosity.  
  
Marguerite was the one who answered him.  
  
"We think it would be okay, Arthur, if you really think it's necessary."  
  
He nodded and began to tell the children, with the others putting in forgotten details, the adventure that ended with the stand at the swinging bridge over the deep river ravine.  
  
The children listened to him, riveted, as, for the first time, they heard about how their parents and grandparent fought one of the more dangerous tribes on the plateau. When they heard the part where the men were sent plunging into the river far below, they clung tightly to their parents, glad that everyone was here, safe.  
  
"Now then," he finished. "I'll tell you my story from that point on, and, at a later date, you can tell me yours."  
  
"Excuse me, sir," Edward interrupted, "but could you tell us more stories about the adventures you and our parents had before we were born? I think our parents forgot to tell us those stories."  
  
His sarcasm was not lost on the adults.  
  
Summerlee, who had understood Veronica's unspoken message earlier, shook his head.  
  
"Sorry, my boy. You see, I wasn't around for long, and I didn't participate in all the adventures."  
  
At the children's disappointed looks, he said, "I'm sure your parents will tell you all you need to know when the time is right."  
  
Edward flopped down on the cushion and shook his head resignedly at the two girls. "Well, I tried," he muttered.  
  
Summerlee's five old friends were really curious to know how he had escaped death from, not only the fall, but also from the arrow wound in his stomach.  
  
They all shifted into more comfortable positions as Summerlee began his story.  
  
"Well, after I was shot, I remember falling helplessly into the river far down in the gorge. Somehow, I was able to surface and grab on to a floating branch. I floated along with an arrow sticking out of my middle thinking that I had reached my end at last. I was surprisingly calm, and I managed to pull the arrow from my wound. It didn't bleed much or hurt. Maybe the cold water of the river was the reason. I was just thinking that I might come out of this all right, when I heard the waterfall ahead of me. I knew, then, that I wouldn't make it after all. I shut my eyes tightly and prayed. The river moved me faster and faster, bringing me closer and closer to sure death. Water covered my head as I felt myself sweep over the waterfall."  
  
He paused, remembering that frightening experience. It was hard for those listening to him, too.  
  
"You needn't go on if you'd rather not, old boy," Challenger told his friend, compassionately.  
  
"No, no, George. I think I need to tell you what happened to me." He laughed bleakly. "I haven't been able to tell anyone yet, you see. And they do say it's healthy to talk about things like this. I will finish my story."  
  
He sat silently for a moment and, then, continued with a deep sigh.  
  
"Now, this is the strange part. Instead of going over the long fall and onto the rocks at the bottom, I fell through the water and landed on a ledge behind the waterfall. I didn't realize at that time that this ledge was the doorstep of a cave. I landed very hard on my back, yet I felt no pain. At that time, I think I was more dead then alive. I was just conscious enough to see these pale people, angels, as I thought, float out of the rock wall. They lifted me up, as if I weighed nothing at all, and carried me inside. I must, then, have lost consciousness. It wasn't until much later that I understood that they had cured my fever and healed my wounds. All but my legs, I'm afraid. You see, the fall broke my spine and I have been confined to this chair ever since."  
  
At their horrified looks, he hastened to reassure them. "I am in no pain, thank heavens, and two of the Sw'atee take care of my needs. Like I told you, they are a very kind and generous race."  
  
He smiled at the Sw'atee who were sitting quietly on either side of him, and then he turned back to his guests.  
  
"When I regained consciousness, my memory of the recent past was quite gone. I remembered my name and my life in London, but I didn't have the vaguest notion how I gotten inside a cave deep under some mountains. I will tell you that it was hard for me to accept the situation. I was not a very nice person, I'm afraid."  
  
He gave an embarrassed chuckle.  
  
" I demanded that they take me to the nearest transport. Of course, they couldn't understand what I was saying, which only made me angrier. I'm afraid that I fell into quite a depression, what with my paralysis and frustration. In fact, I became quite mad! I can remember ranting and raving at these poor people."  
  
He paused.  
  
"The puzzling part was that they treated me, a crippled, mad, old man, with such reverence," he said slowly.  
  
He shook his head at the memory.  
  
"It was quite a long time before I was coherent enough to try to talk to them. Their language was very hard to learn because they communicate with little sound. They speak a whispering language, you know. However, we can communicate quite well now" he said with satisfaction.  
  
"I didn't find out why they were so kind to me until I had mastered enough of their language to understand K'mer, the storyteller's, words. It was only then I came to understand that they thought I was their ancient king, fallen from the mountaintop! I tried to tell them that I was no king, but they would not accept this." He shook his head in remembered frustration. "What was one to do?"  
  
"You see, these beautiful, kind people don't live very long. They live only long enough to see their children reach adulthood, about thirty years. Many, many years ago, the Sw'atee lived in the mountain meadows. Their gentle nature made them an easy target for the dinosaurs and fierce tribes that began to appear on the plateau. They were soon close to extinction.  
  
In their village, at that time, was a Sw'atee king who was revered for his intelligence and inventiveness. This man was further honored because he was approaching his fortieth year, an age never before know in all their history. As he saw their numbers dwindle and realized that they would soon lose the battle for their very existence, he climbed up the mountain and sent down a great rockslide that swept away everything in its path. When the stones, trees, and boulders stopped falling, the opening to a cave was revealed. The people waited and watched, but their king never came down from the mountain. In the end, the Sw'atee moved into the cave where they were safe from dinosaurs, apemen, cannibals and other tribes who had threatened them. They finally came to realize the gift their king had given them.  
  
They have lived in these caves for many hundred years. When I fell right at their front door, as it were, and because of my advanced age, they claimed I was that legendary man -- their ancient king."  
  
Chuckling, this time quite happily, he winked at the children.  
  
"Now here is a very bizarre coincidence," he said. "As soon as I had recovered from my injuries, and, even though I did not yet understand their language, I had introduced myself as Arthur Summerlee."  
  
At their puzzled looks, he sighed and leaned forward.  
  
"Don't you see?" he explained patiently. "When K'mer was telling me this story, I learned that their king's name was R'tor Sw'atee!"  
  
The new King of the Sw'atee leaned back in his chair and laughed. "I finally understood why they treated me so well."  
  
The children looked at each other and smiled. It made sense, now. They understood the connection between their parents' old friend and their friend R'tor.  
  
"That is quite a coincidence, Arthur," agreed Roxton, after a few seconds. He hadn't caught on as quickly as the children. "But, please, tell us about these remarkable caves." He smiled over at his friends. "After all, we spent a good deal of our time exploring caves when we were looking for a way off of the plateau."  
  
They all laughed and looked at each other with knowing glances.  
  
"Right you are, John. How well I remember those days!" Arthur's laugh was quite jolly. Reuniting with his friends had raised his spirits and made him feel years younger.  
  
He turned his gleaming eyes to his old friend.  
  
"I think you will find this particularly interesting, George. The cave system on the plateau is all interconnected! My friends have been exploring and mapping these caves for over two hundred years and have never found the end of it. The Forever Caves, as they call them, must travel under the whole mountain range. The caves open into every part of the plateau. The Sw'atee control these openings and can close them at will.'  
  
George stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That would explain many of our strange adventures."  
  
The others nodded in agreement.  
  
Summerlee settled back and continued his tale.  
  
"About ten years ago, when the danger first appeared, the people on the plateau were unprepared for its growing power. They tried to deal with it in their usual way, but it didn't work. Slowly the tribes and villages were decimated. Many of their people and animals were taken and even whole villages disappeared. No one and nothing was safe. About two years ago, the tribes came to the Sw'atee to ask if they could live in the caves to escape the terror. Even tribes that were once the Sw'atee's enemies begged for a place in the Forever Caves. The Sw'atee invited them all in, even the worst of them, and they have all found a place of safety here. The one law that is strictly enforced is no violence amongst the guests. So great is the fear of the danger, that no one is willing to be turned out."  
  
He shook his head. "The danger is getting worse, I'm afraid. The Sw'atee tell me that miles of the jungle have disappeared. The danger has created a spinning vortex in the middle of the plateau that is sucking in any animal, dinosaur, or person who gets too near. It is drawing the plateau into itself. If we don't find a way to stop it, some day the whole plateau may disappear!"  
  
Roxton now understood why the mountains appeared so much closer then they had been. They actually were closer.  
  
"Good lord!" Challenger exclaimed. "We had no idea that things had gotten so bad.  
  
The others nodded and looked at each other in concern and fear.  
  
Of course, fear always triggered temper in Marguerite.  
  
"So, Arthur," she said, impatiently. "I'd like to know why you didn't contact us as soon as you regained your memory?"  
  
"I tried to, my dear! I sent the Sw'atee through the caves to find you. They opened caves all over the plateau and put themselves in considerable danger to search for you, but never saw any of you. I was very puzzled and began to wonder if you all had made it off the plateau after all or, heaven forbid, you had been taken by the danger. When they told me about meeting some children near our old treehouse, I immediately arranged to talk to them.  
  
"It was only after I had questioned them that I realized that they were yours. Imagine my surprise!"  
  
"Well, why did you tell them not to tell us about talking to you?" Veronica was becoming upset, too.  
  
Summerlee's voice became hard, the voice of a king.  
  
"I had just received some very startling information, something that my Sw'atee had uncovered from a cave deep inside the mountain, and I wasn't sure that it would be safe for me to contact you at that time. The information was very - unsettling and I puzzled over it for several days before I could figure out what I now think is its meaning."  
  
He laughed mirthlessly.  
  
"I got it wrong the first time, but, now, I believe that I understand what we need to do and your children are vital to a successful outcome."  
  
Ned frowned and looked at Roxton. He could tell that Summerlee's cryptic explanation wasn't sitting well with him, either.  
  
" Stop, Arthur!" Ned broke in. "You might understand, but we're still in the dark. You told our children that they were important in removing the danger from the plateau, and we need to know more about this. We've spent ten years trying to shield our children, to keep them safe from harm, and now you appear and tell us that they'll be exposed to the most deadly force ever to appear here."  
  
He shook his head. "If what you tell us about the danger is true, then we adults will do everything in our power to help get rid of it, but we won't jeopardize our children's safety or peace of mind."  
  
Veronica squeezed his arm in support.  
  
"Ned's right, Arthur," Roxton said. "We want our children to grow up without having to deal with the dangers we faced when we came to the plateau or the trauma that Veronica experienced when she was a child. We won't have them put in danger."  
  
The three children had been having a whispering conversation. Before Roxton could continue, Victoria jumped up.  
  
"Wait a minute, Dad. I'd like to say something."  
  
"Victoria," warned Marguerite.  
  
"No, Mom. This is important." She looked down at Edward and his sister. "I'm speaking for all of us kids." She nodded at Will and Summer as they sat up, knuckling the sleep out of their eyes.  
  
She motioned for them stand beside her. Will and Summer looked at their big sister curiously but knew better than to protest when Tori had that look on her face. Alice and Edward jumped up and stood shoulder to shoulder. Alice had an unaccustomed frown between her eyebrows.  
  
The adults had never seen Victoria looking quite so determined.  
  
"We kids have been hearing things today that you've never told us before. R'tor talked about places and people on the plateau that we've never even known existed. It's not fair! We children were born on the plateau," she said, moving her hand to include all of the other children, including Rosie who had just woken up. "The plateau is our home and we always assumed that we'd be living here all of our lives -- you've never told us anything differently. Now, I've seen that the plateau is beautiful outside of the electric fence and we children should be able to live in all of our world, just as you once did." She glared around at the adults. "You haven't been honest with us!"  
  
"Don't be so melodramatic, Tori," Challenger huffed, guilt making his voice gruff. "We would have told you when the time was right."  
  
"We just wanted you all to be safe, sweetheart," Marguerite explained. Inwardly, she berated herself. How stupid they had been not to realize there would be consequences to their decision to keep the children isolated. Although, it had seemed the only choice at the time.  
  
Roxton tried to speak in a reasonable voice, "Our wish has always been to give you a happy, normal childhood, free from worry and danger."  
  
Victoria would have none of it. She put her hands on her hips and raised her voice.  
  
"How can our childhood be normal if you keep us penned up like prisoners? How can we be free from danger if we don't know what the danger is? We felt safer when you taught us to throw a spear and shoot a gun, but, from what R'tor has told us, I don't think a spear or a gun will have any affect on the real danger."  
  
The other children nodded. They, too, were becoming indignant. Tori rolled on.  
  
You've been saying that you want to keep us safe. How can we ever be safe with this danger on the plateau? R'tor told us that we kids can help get rid of this danger if we act now. We can't wait until we grow up. There might not be a plateau by then. What kind of future would we have then?" She paused to draw breath. "So, the way we see it, we have no choice. We have to do it." She looked at her mother's worried face. "Don't you see?" she pleaded, "The plateau is our home, the only home we'll ever have. Isn't home worth fighting for?  
  
Roxton rubbed his chin.  
  
"Well, Tori, you've made an interesting case."  
  
Tori grinned at the other children.  
  
"However," her father continued, raising a cautionary finger. "That doesn't mean that we agree with you. We'll talk it over and decide on the best course of action."  
  
Victoria's face fell. Edward elbowed her and leaned in to whisper, "They'll agree, you'll see."  
  
"Is there a safe place for the children to play while we discuss this? " Veronica asked Arthur.  
  
"But of course, my dear. The Sw'atee children have quite a large play chamber. I'm sure the children will have a wonderful time there."  
  
Tilly looked at George and said. "I will go with the children."  
  
"Now, wait a minute, Tilly," Challenger protested. "We'll need your wise counsel to help us decide on a course of action."  
  
"George is right, Tilly," Roxton interjected. "We need you here."  
  
"Have no fear, Mrs. Challenger. The Sw'atee have excellent teachers. The children will be well cared for," Summerlee assured her.  
  
"But---but, Arthur," Marguerite stammered. "We can't just send them off with strangers. For one thing, the children won't be understood. The Sw'atee don't speak English!"  
  
"Oh, but they do! Well, at least some of them do. English is taught to the children, although it is very hard for them to learn. Oh, not the language itself, but speaking it aloud. They find it very funny," Summerlee chuckled.  
  
"Oh, please let us go, Mommy," pleaded Summer. "Please! I need to play."  
  
Marguerite glanced over at Veronica, who slowly nodded in reluctant agreement.  
  
"Okay, you can all go." She aimed a stern look at her children. "But no trouble -- understand?"  
  
Suddenly remembering about his wife's cake the children had eaten, Roxton cleared his throat and said quietly to his son, "How are you and Summer feeling, Will? No tummy aches, eh?"  
  
Marguerite heard him anyway, and she raised one questioning eyebrow at him.  
  
Will said, "No, Dad. We're fine."  
  
"What---?" Marguerite began.  
  
"Nothing, nothing, dear," Roxton hastened to say. "Just checking up on the little tykes."  
  
She was distracted from Roxton's odd behavior by the arrival of two Sw'atee.  
  
The children hurriedly put on their backpacks. They were excited.  
  
The female Sw'atee stepped forward to stand in front of Marguerite who was holding the baby tightly in her arms. Confronted by this stranger, Marguerite suddenly had second thoughts about letting her precious children out of her sight. She stared at the pleasant looking woman with apprehension.  
  
"I am Ry'see. I am the infant teacher," the pale woman said quietly. Marguerite could see that it was an effort for her to move her lips.  
  
"What is your baby's name?"  
  
Marguerite smiled down at her youngest child. "Her name is Rose," she said.  
  
Rosie, hearing her name, clapped her hands and bounced in her mother's arms.  
  
Ry'see smiled. "My baby is called By'too. He is a year old. He and Rose will be happy to play together."  
  
Marguerite smiled back at her. She was surprised to feel an instant trust in this woman. She nodded her head slowly as she said, "I do believe they will."  
  
"Rosie," Marguerite whispered in Sw'atee. "Ry'see will take you to play with her son. Mommy and Daddy will come to see you soon."  
  
Ry'see looked at her with surprise, but was stopped from asking her how she had learned the Sw'atee language when Rosie squealed and practically jumped into her arms.  
  
Both women laughed at the baby's enthusiasm.  
  
Meanwhile, the other children were meeting the man who would be taking charge of them. He was different from the Sw'atee they had met already. He spoke English very well and in a strong voice. He smiled often and even laughed out loud. He talked for a few minutes with the children and then turned to Ned, Veronica, and Roxton to tell them a little bit about the educational system of the Sw'atee. To the anxious parents, the gentle guidance and the encouragement of individual interest that earmarked the Sw'atee philosophy in both education and play reassured them that their children would be in good hands.  
  
The Roxtons and Malones couldn't help showing their apprehension, though. They had never left their children with anyone but Grandma Tilly and so were naturally anxious about leaving them with these strangers. Only Arthur's reassurance and the good impression they had gotten from the two teachers kept them from changing their minds about letting the children go.  
  
The children were waiting impatiently by the doorway. They couldn't wait to play with some new children. This whole day had been an eye-opener to them. They had heard more about their parent's past---exciting, mysterious past--- today then they had ever heard before. The older three children were bursting to ask more questions now that the information floodgate had been opened, but they also realized that now was not the time. They would wait, but then they wanted to know everything.  
  
Edward watched his parents' faces. He could tell that they were waffling about letting them go. He sighed in exasperation and leaned back against the wall. Suddenly, he remembered something and, with a smile, shrugged off his backpack, grabbed it by its straps, and carried it over to R'Tor.  
  
"Excuse me, R'tor," he said. Arthur, who had been talking to his Sw'atee companions, turned and smiled at the young boy.  
  
"Yes, Edward."  
  
Edward spoke hesitantly. "I---that is---we, Alice and me, planted those seeds you sent to us."  
  
Arthur sighed. "Thank you very much, my boy. I hope you and Alice weren't too disappointed when they didn't sprout."  
  
Edward frowned at him. "But, they did sprout, R'tor. The plants grew really fast! My Mom said they were the strangest looking plants she'd ever seen!"  
  
Edward wasn't hesitant, now. He plopped his backpack down and unbuckled the straps. Turning it upside down, he shook it hard and out fell a good size pile of withering, freakish-looking plants.  
  
Summerlee's mouth dropped open in astonishment.  
  
"By God!" Arthur exclaimed, "but this is wonderful! Who could have guessed you'd have such success?"  
  
If Arthur was happy to see the plants, the Sw'atee around him were ecstatic. With much whispering and gesturing they moved to stand around the pile. Even the two teachers stopped their conversations to smile widely at Edward's gift.  
  
Edward and the others were astounded and confused at the reception the plants were receiving. Roxton excused himself and turned to Summerlee.  
  
"What's happening, Arthur? You'd think that Edward had brought them the Hope diamond."  
  
"Oh, these plants are much more valuable, John. We thought that we'd never see them grow again."  
  
"What kind of plants are they, Arthur? I've never seen one quite like these." Challenger peered closely at the pile. His curiosity tempted him to pick one up, but seeing the proprietary look on the faces of the Sw'atee, he only looked.  
  
"Well, George," Summerlee began. His voice took on his lecture cadence. "This plant, that the Sw'atee call t'balee, is a staple of their diet. They found this plant growing in the caves when they moved in over two hundred years ago. The plant is peculiar in that it doesn't need sunlight." He rubbed his knuckle across his mustache. "At least that is what we always thought. After the last harvest, over a year ago, the t'balee stopped growing in the caves. The Sw'atee tried planting it up in the mountain meadows, by waterways, in snow, in sand, in peat---nothing worked. We have been rationing the remaining t'balee, but, I'm sorry to say, we have only a few months supply left. The Sw'atee have been in despair because this plant has many special properties that the Sw'atee have become accustomed to."  
  
He paused thoughtfully.  
  
"We will, of course, need to determine why the plants grew so well in Veronica's garden when they would grow nowhere else, but, in the meantime, the seeds from Edward's crop may be just what we need to be able to grow our own crops once again."  
  
As Summerlee finished speaking, everyone stood quietly gazing down at the treasured pile.  
  
Marguerite was the first to break the silence. Something Summerlee had said caught her attention.  
  
"Just what kind of "special properties" do these plants possess, Arthur?" she asked. Her mouth quirked up on one side and her voice held only the slightest hint of acquisitiveness.  
  
"Dear Marguerite. Still on the hunt for treasure, I see."  
  
"Not at all, dear Arthur," she said blandly. "I have my treasures, I just want to hear about yours."  
  
Summerlee was slightly taken aback, but the others grinned. Marguerite wasn't quite as easy to goad as she had been.  
  
He closed his eyes and bowed his head to her in silent apology. How he'd missed them. It was as if they were all back in the treehouse once again.  
  
He signed. "Well, now, of course you do, my dear. However, the properties of this plant are a closely guarded secret known only to the Sw'atee. As far as I can determine, they are the only tribe on the plateau who have cultivated this species of flora and understand its importance."  
  
He squinted his eyes at his old friends and then slowly nodded.  
  
"Under the circumstances, however, I, as King of the Sw'atee, think it is necessary to share this secret with you. But you must promise that you'll tell no one else about this. Promise?"  
  
He peered down his nose at the children.  
  
Will startled at the sudden scrutiny. He hastily crossed his heart with his finger.  
  
The other children chorused, "Yes, sir."  
  
"Good," Summerlee said, satisfied.  
  
He cleared his throat. "Now to begin. This wondrous plant is composed of five parts and each of the five parts has a different property."  
  
He was momentarily distracted by Summer, who began to count her fingers.  
  
"One. Two. Three---"  
  
Victoria bumped her little sister with her hip. "Shush," she whispered fiercely.  
  
Summer scowled at her sister and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Ahem," Arthur coughed. "As I was saying, each part of the plant has a different property. Let me show you what I mean."  
  
He motioned for someone to hand him a plant. Ever so reverently, he held it up for them to see.  
  
The plant was about six inches tall. Long, stringy, white roots hung like a beard from the bottom. The stalk was an orange color with red veins running down its length. Jutting out of the stalk were three short, thin twigs, each one topped by a trio of gray, pointy leaves. At the top, the stalk branched out into five separate stems. Each of the stems was crowned with a round, yellow knob.  
  
Victoria and Marguerite exchanged a grimace. It was not a thing of beauty.  
  
"Ewww!" Will muttered under his breath.  
  
Even Alice couldn't think of anything nice to say about it.  
  
Summerlee grinned at their reaction.  
  
"Not very appealing to look at, I grant you," he said. "But, speaking as a botanist, it is the most remarkable plant I have every seen. I'm sure you'll think so too when I have told you its secret."  
  
"Okay, okay, Arthur. You've build up the suspense quite enough. Get on with it, will you." Challenger was almost dancing with impatience.  
  
"Of course, George," Arthur smiled. Just as curious as ever, he thought.  
  
"Now then," he said again, gathering them all in with his eyes, "I will start at the bottom and make my way upward." He laid the long, white roots over his palm. "The roots of this plant have many culinary uses. They are used primarily as a salad ingredient, but are also used as what Europeans would call noodles. Boiling the roots produces a drink that the Sw'atee think is most delicious."  
  
Summerlee stopped and drew a deep breath in through his nose and blew it out of his mouth.  
  
"All right---here goes. The secret of the root is that it is responsible for sharpening one's vision. Once you have ingested the root, in whatever way, your eyesight becomes quite incredibly good. You can see great distances and in sharp detail. Why, one can almost see around corners!"  
  
The children widened their eyes at that, but the adults chuckled.  
  
Marguerite laughed. "Pack up a dozen roots for me, Arthur. You all know how much "super-vision" my lot needs," she punned.  
  
"Good one, Marguerite," Veronica applauded. "And I guess if George ate that root, he would become a true "visionary".  
  
Challenger snorted. Tilly giggled.  
  
Roxton rose to the occasion, if somewhat pitifully. "Eat that root and you wouldn't have to leave home to go sightseeing," he ventured.  
  
Marguerite groaned and smacked him on the arm.  
  
Now, everyone was laughing. The younger children didn't quite understand the joke, but that didn't stop them from joining in. Alice had to bang Will on the back when his laugh went down the wrong pipe.  
  
"Enough, enough!" shouted Ned, still chuckling. "Let Arthur continue."  
  
"Oh my," Arthur gasped, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "I have missed this."  
  
Ned cocked his eye at his old friend and asked, "Is there any way you could speed up this revelation, Arthur? Is the end in sight?" he finished with a grin.  
  
"Okay, you're right, Ned. This could go on all day." Summerlee held up his hand to get the group's attention.  
  
"Now, there is one more thing I'd like to mention about the roots and that is, if you seep them in water instead of boiling them, the resulting cold brew produces the "magic water" that I used to communicate with the children. I don't pretend to know how it works, but if I look in the water from here, I can see and hear anyone who is looking in the water in another place. Quite remarkable."  
  
"Indeed it is," agreed Challenger. "I'd like to try that brew!"  
  
"Blue what, Grandpa?" Summer asked innocently.  
  
Summerlee groaned. "In order to avoid another episode of bad puns, I'll quickly describe the other four properties, and then the children can be on their way."  
  
Moving his finger up the plant, Summerlee pointed to the odd colored stalk.  
  
"The precious seeds are removed from inside the stalk and then it is mashed into a pulp. The pulp is dried, ground, and made into bread. The Sw'atee carry this bread with them everywhere, for it gives them great strength and endurance when they need it."  
  
He quickly went on before anyone could say anything.  
  
"That brings us to the leaves. We chew them. They are the secret of the Sw'atee's speed." His finger moved higher. "These five fleshy stems at the top are full of juice. The bud on the top of the stem acts like a stopper, a very tight and necessary stopper, too, I might add. Once it is popped off, the juice is carefully poured out into flasks that have been lined with the skin of the plant. Great care must be taken not to spill it, for it makes anything it touches or anyone who drinks it quite invisible for a short period of time!"  
  
"Incredible," Challenger murmured.  
  
The old man nodded.  
  
"And now we come to this remarkable yellow bud. I grant you, it doesn't look like much," he said, holding up the little ball between his thumb and finger. "but it is very potent."  
  
"What does it do, R'tor?" asked Edward, wide-eyes with interest.  
  
Summerlee winked at the boy.  
  
"Well, Edward, I'm not sure exactly how to describe its special property. I suppose I could say that it gives one the power of kinetic energy ruled by the conscious mind.  
  
"Come again, Arthur?" Ned said, frowning.  
  
"I think I know what he's talking about," Challenger said slowly, but with excitement building in his voice. "Kinetic energy? Ruled by the mind? Are you saying, Arthur, that that little---bean can give one the power to move an object just by thinking one wants it to move?"  
  
"Indeed, George. With this little bean, as you call it, the Sw'atee can clear large boulders from cave-ins. They can pull a bird from the sky." He cocked his head and peered slyly at his friends. "Or even a balloon."  
  
Roxton and Marguerite shared a startled glance.  
  
"How do you activate this bean, Arthur?" Veronica asked. "Do you eat it or drink it?"  
  
"Neither, my dear. You stick it in your ear."  
  
"What?" they all chorused.  
  
"You---stick it---in---your ear," Arthur repeated slowly.  
  
Veronica shook her head and laughed. "Really, Arthur. You had us going for a minute there." She stood up. "Gather up your backpacks, children. It's time to go."  
  
"Don't you believe him, Mom?" Alice asked. She was totally puzzled. R'tor was the king. He wouldn't lie.  
  
"Arthur was just teasing us, Alice. No one puts beans in their ears."  
  
Alice glanced over at Summer to see if she was going to let that one pass, but she had taken her Dolly out of her pocket and was showing it to Ry'see.  
  
After much kissing and hugging, the children marched out of R'tor's chamber behind the slowly moving teachers. Marguerite reached for John's hand as her children disappeared down the passageway. With a deep sigh, they walked over to sit with the others.  
  
Just as they sat down, they heard running footsteps and turned around to see Edward skid to a stop just inside the chamber. He grinned in embarrassment as he stooped down beside Arthur's chair and picked up his forgotten backpack. He threw it over one shoulder and had turned to leave when he changed his mind and flung his arms around the old man's neck, instead. Surprised, Arthur hugged him back.  
  
"I believe what you said about the plant, R'tor," Edward whispered.  
  
"Thank you, my boy," he answered, gruffly.  
  
Edward let him go, mumbled "Sorry" to his parents, and scurried out. The last thing he heard before he was out of earshot was R'tor saying, "Now, let me tell you what we've discovered."  
  
Edward ran pell-mell down the passageway to catch up with the others. His mind was as busy as his feet as it sorted through all of the new information he had learned. However, the battle against the danger was uppermost in his thoughts. He didn't think victory would be too difficult. He, Will, and Atoo often played knights and dragons (Atoo called it warriors and dinosaurs). Atoo was usually the dragon, since he thought that was the strongest and bravest part. And, Edward admitted to himself, Will had the cleverest ideas on how to fool the dragon and lead him into their trap. But Edward knew that it was his imagination (gotten from his father, he had been told) that made the game so interesting and fun. From all of the bits and pieces of all of the books he had read, he could build stories and scenarios that sometimes took days for the boys to play out. Tori often played with them. She played the princess who was caught by the dragon and needed to be rescued. The only trouble with that was that Tori got so cranky and uncooperative and complained that Atoo was always dragging her around and making her hide behind damp bushes or dirty rocks. She always ended up insisting that she wanted to be a knight, too. Edward shook his head at her unreasonable attitude. Who ever heard of a girl knight? As much as Edward admired Tori, he secretly thought that Alice and Summer made much better damsels in distress. They would sit anywhere Atoo put them, playing with their dolls, and chatting, and singing. Edward grinned as he remembered how mad Atoo got when their singing got so loud that he and Will had no trouble finding and rescuing them before Atoo got back to his lair.  
  
Yes, Edward thought, he and Will were experienced knights. Getting rid of the danger should be as easy as capturing the dragon. Swiftly following that thought, the sensible, realistic side of Edward (gotten from his mother, he was told) made him shift his shoulders uneasily. Well, he admitted, maybe it would be a little harder what with swirling vortexes and storms and earthquakes and all.  
  
So busy was he with his thoughts that it wasn't until too late that he realized the danger he was in. The loose straps from his backpack had somehow managed to get between his feet. He took several stumbling steps forward as the tangle tripped him up and sent him painfully to his knees.  
  
With a grunt of pain, and a hiss of exasperation, he knelt on the rocky floor of the passage and roughly pulled his backpack off. He was mad at himself. It seemed that the only time he got hurt was when his mind was miles away from his body. He frowned and began to re-buckle the treacherous straps. To further annoy him, one of the straps was stuck inside the biggest pocket. Muttering in frustration, he jammed his hand in to free it. His fingers felt something round and soft at the bottom.  
  
Edward gave a shout of alarm, jerked his hand out and dropped the satchel on the floor.  
  
"Bloody hell, it's a snake!" he exclaimed and then looked about quickly to make sure no one was around to hear him use his Uncle John's favorite cuss words.  
  
Cautiously, he stood up, picked up his pack by the sides and, holding it out at arms lengths, shook it hard. Nothing fell out. Edward took a deep breath and shook the pack even harder. He jumped back as something landed softly on the floor. Well, at least it wasn't a snake, he thought with relief as he saw five, small t'balee plants lying there. His relief turned quickly to exasperation. Now he would have to go all the way back to the chamber to give them to R'tor.  
  
With a sigh, Edward picked up the t'balee from the floor, but instead of putting them back into his backpack, he stared thoughtfully at the disgusting looking plants. His sharp mind quickly ran through all of the things Arthur had told them. He stood thinking for a moment and then, making up his mind, he carefully stuffed the plants back into his backpack, buckled the straps securely and started running down the passageway in the direction of the playroom.  
  
He wouldn't be giving these plants to R'tor after all. He had a plan.  
  
  
  
(TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 4) 


	4. Under the Mountain

The Five Keys  
  
CHAPTER 4: Under the Mountain  
Arthur looked around at his old friends and said, "Now, let me tell you what we've discovered."  
  
They shifted to make themselves more comfortable on the pillows.  
  
Veronica glanced over to the doorway, her eyes following the retreating form of her son. She had been concerned about Edward for a few weeks, ever since he had apparently been told something about Veronica's past, a past that they had carefully kept from the children. Although they had cautiously questioned him about where he had gotten this information, he swore that he couldn't remember.  
  
She felt a little shiver run up her spine. Ned saw his wife shiver, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close.  
  
"He'll be fine, he whispered.  
  
"Ahem." Summerlee raised his eyebrows at the couple. Privately, he thought they were overreacting. He knew that the children were in good hands.  
  
"Now," he continued, "let's get started. He smiled and motioned one of the Sw'atee standing beside him to step forward.  
  
"I would like you to meet Ron'di."  
  
The tall, pale man bowed to them. "So happy to meet you," he croaked lowly.  
  
Summerlee beamed at him like a proud father.  
  
"Ron'di is the head of the science team that studies and maps our vast cave systems," the Sw'atee king explained. "He is here to tell you of his recent discovery; the discovery that lead me to conclude that the help of your children is vital if we are to free the plateau of this deadly menace."  
  
Hesitatingly the Sw'atee scientist began his tale. His voice, which was low and breathless with a distinctly British accent, became stronger as he talked.  
  
"My team and I were at our usual business of mapping and collecting data on the caves, passageways and chambers of our vast home. Quite by accident, as we were taking a sample from the wall of a small chamber, we caused a minor cave in. When the dust and rocks had settled, we found that the rock fall had revealed the opening to a narrow passageway. Instead of being pitch dark, we were quite intrigued to note that a glow of some kind illuminated the steep stairs that led downwards. After some discussion, we decided to explore this strange phenomenon."  
  
He looked around at his audience, his pale blue eyes glowed aqua as he relived his exciting adventure.  
  
"The steps went on and on, leading us deeper than we had ever been before. The light around us grew brighter as we descended.  
  
"At last we reached the bottom of the stairs and found ourselves in a small, brightly lit chamber. The reddish-gold light emanated from an opening in the forth wall. We cautiously approached the opening and, stepping through, found ourselves standing on a narrow ledge." He drew a deep breath and continued. "Looking over the edge, we could see that the walls of this new chamber tunneled down at least a hundred feet to a large, boulder-rimmed pit on the floor, far below. Glowing fissures scarred the steep walls and glaringly illuminated the chamber. Steam rose from these cracks to collect on the ceiling. It was extremely hot and we couldn't stand there long. We returned to the small chamber and looked carefully around. In the center of the cave was a carved column of stone about two meters high. Circling up from the bottom of this column were small holes, each one a little higher than the next. We looked into the holes but could see nothing. However, at the base of the column was a larger hole and inside we found a carved stone tablet. As I picked up the crumbling tablet, I felt great excitement. Alas, my excitement turned to puzzlement when I realized that the carvings were in a language that I did not recognize. When we returned to the surface, I turned the tablet over to our linguists."  
  
As Ron'di's part of the story came to an end, Summerlee looked at his friends for their reaction. He was disappointed when all he could see on their faces was a look of polite interest.  
  
"Really, Arthur," Challenger said. "That was quite an interesting story, but what does it have to do with the children?"  
  
"Well, I should think that is obvious," replied the old man. "It was the writing on the tablet that explained it all."  
  
Marguerite glared at her husband. "Patience" he mouthed back.  
  
Veronica's patience, however, was wearing thin.  
  
In a testy voice she said, "Professor, you're wasting our time. We want to know right now what the writing said and how it could possibly relate to our children."  
  
"Right, Professor," Ned agreed, backing up his wife. "What did your linguists say was written on the tablet?"  
  
The old man shrugged. "Why, nothing," he told them. "They couldn't make heads nor tails of the writing."  
  
Marguerite threw up her hands in disgust.  
  
"Arthur Summerlee, it's a wonder that someone hasn't throttled you by now!" she growled. "You have the most exasperating way of explaining things."  
  
"Get to the point, old boy," Roxton said. "If the writing couldn't be deciphered, than how do you know it said something about the children?"  
  
"I didn't say the writing wasn't deciphered, old friend. I just said that the Sw'atee linguists couldn't decipher it," he explained quite maddeningly.  
  
With a howl, Marguerite started to rise from her pillow, her hands out in front of her as if she were determined to carry out her threat. Roxton pulled her back down.  
  
Summerlee smiled at the infuriated woman, a teasing glint in his eyes.  
  
"Now, if Marguerite has quite finished holding us up, I'll get on with what I was explaining to you." He cleared his throat.  
  
"When our linguists found the language too unfamiliar to decipher, we asked around amongst our cave guests for help. One of them-someone I'm sure you'll be very pleased to see-was able to translate the ancient language. I've asked that person to come up here to tell you the rest of the story."  
  
Roxton sighed in exasperation. "Can't you just tell us, Summerlee? We're tired of waiting."  
  
"Now, now, John. I think the information will be much more convincing coming from the horse's mouth, so to speak."  
  
The words were said in a light manner, but the tone of voice and the look in his eyes was that of the Sw'atee King.  
  
They would have to wait.  
  
In the next instant, the king before them became their old friend once again. Summerlee grinned at them engagingly.  
  
"While we're waiting, why don't you tell me what you all have been up to for the past twelve years?" He looked at his old companion. "Come, come, Challenger, old boy, you've never been one to pass up a chance to tell a tale."  
  
Challenger raised his eyebrows and glanced at his friends. Seeing only frustration in their eyes, he cleared his throat and said, "Right you are, Arthur. I suppose, first of all, that you want to know how the fight on the bridge turned out?"  
  
Summerlee nodded.  
  
Challenger began. "Well, it didn't turn out too well for either side, actually."  
*****  
  
Edward, his backpack thumping against his back, ran into the playroom and quickly looked around for his friends. He was breathing hard.  
  
Ry'see looked up at his entrance and smiled, then turned her attention back to the two babies playing on the floor.  
  
Alice, too, saw her brother come in. She had been glancing at the doorway often, anxious for Edward to get back. She let out a sigh of relief and hurried over to him.  
  
"Where are the Roxtons?" he asked her as soon as she came up.  
  
Alice frowned at the intense look in her brother's eyes.  
  
"They're over there, crawling through the tunnels. Why?  
  
"I need to talk to you all. Right now."  
  
"What for?" Alice asked again.  
  
But Edward didn't answer her. He had spotted his friends crawling out of the mouth of a natural tunnel that ran through the walls of the playroom. It was a favorite play area with the Sw'atee children.  
  
"Tori, Will!" he called and hurried to meet them. Alice followed him.  
  
"Hey, Edward, come here," Will called back. "These tunnels are swell. There's a little hole in that one that you can yell down and your voice echoes back at you!!"  
  
"Great, Will. But I need to tell you something very important." Edward looked around. "Where's Summer?"  
  
Will looked around, too, and then bent down and looked into the mouth of the tunnel. "I don't know. She was just behind me."  
  
Just then they all heard Summer's querulous voice floating out of the tunnel. "Stop pushing! I don't want to get out yet!"  
  
"Please," croaked a Sw'atee child in a timid voice.  
  
Victoria shouted into the exit, "Summer come out here now!"  
  
"No! I'm haven't finished talking to the hole," Summer yelled back.  
  
Will pushed his older sister aside.  
  
"Summer! You heard what Mom told us didn't you? She's gonna be very mad if you get into trouble."  
  
"Oh, okay," Summer grumbled as she crawled out of the tunnel followed by a thin, pale Sw'atee boy. He scrambled to his feet and backed away from the frowning little girl. Summer glared after him. "Mean boy," she muttered.  
  
While all this was going on, Edward was fairly dancing with suppressed impatience.  
  
"Hey," he hissed to get their attention. "We've gotta talk." He looked around at the room full of the children and teachers.  
  
Seeing his anxiety, Tori motioned to the tunnel entrance further up on the wall, "We can talk in there. One of the tunnels has lots of small chambers off of it."  
  
The five children walked quickly over to the shallow flight of steps that led up to that particular cave entrance. The male teacher who had talked to them in R'tor's chamber looked up and waved to them. They smiled and waved back then hurried up the steps before anyone could stop them.  
  
Victoria took the lead and Will brought up the rear. The tunnel was fairly small, and Edward's backpack rubbed against the ceiling.  
  
Alice, who was crawling behind Edward, suggested that he should take it off to make it easier for him to maneuver.  
  
"Can't. We need it," Edward answered succinctly.  
  
It was very quiet in the tunnels even though there were probably many children crawling around in them. They could hear a soft buzzing sound like a bee caught in a bottle. Five or six Sw'atee children occupied the first chamber they came to. They were sitting in a circle playing some game with polished stones. The tallest boy smiled and invited them in with a wave of his hand. Tori smiled back but shook her head.  
  
"We're exploring," she told him. The pale, thin children smiled at each other in understanding and went back to their game.  
  
The children crawled past two more occupied chambers before they found an empty one. It was a good-sized room with carved stone benches surrounding the walls and a fire pit in the center of the room. The children stood up and stretched their cramped limbs. They weren't used to so much crawling.  
  
Will and Summer immediately went to look in the fire pit. Will reached out and grabbed his little sister as she leaned out too far over the pit. His rescue earned him a sisterly glare.  
  
"Let me go, Will. I'm won't fall in. I'm not a baby!"  
  
"What are you two doing? Come over here." Edward was having second thoughts about including Summer in his plan. But he knew he couldn't leave her behind.  
  
Now that the time had come, he wasn't sure that they would think his idea as brilliant as he did.  
  
"For God's sake, Edward," Tori said to him. "Sit down here and tell us what all the mystery is about." She bent her knee up and inspected it carefully. "And it had better be good," she threatened crossly. "I skinned my knee crawling in here."  
  
Edward shrugged off his backpack and sat on one of the benches that lined the wall. The others sat close by.  
  
"Well, I have an idea about getting rid of the danger that I think will work, and our parents won't have to help us."  
  
The other children gave him curious looks, Victoria's mixed with skepticism.  
  
"Let's hear it, Edward," urged Will.  
  
"I'm sure it'll be a great plan," Alice smiled.  
  
"What's "ridofthedanger" mean? If you all get some, I want some, too."  
  
Tori put her hand on her little sister's shoulder.  
  
"Hush, Summer. Let Edward talk."  
  
Edward continued. "Well, I was thinking about the danger and what R'tor told us about it and that made me think about how good me and Will are at being knights in shining armor and capturing dragons."  
  
He paused and rolled his eyes sideways to look at Tori. He knew a little flattery would make his idea appeal to her.  
  
"And all of us know how good Tori is with her spear and all. So, I think that we should sneak out of the caves and find the danger and capture it and surprise our parents and R'tor!"  
  
At their uncertain looks, he added.  
  
"You see, R'tor said that it was up to us to get rid of the danger. He said that we are special and all of us are needed to save the plateau. Our parents said that they are going to let us help, but they could change their minds. You know how they are."  
  
The others nodded at this truism.  
  
He paused for breath. Will and Summer were looking at each other with growing excitement. Even Tori was looking thoughtful. Alice had a frown on her face.  
  
"But, Edward," she asked, "won't our parents be mad at us? They told us to stay in the playroom."  
  
Edward forced a confident laugh that he didn't quite feel.  
  
"Hah. They won't be mad at us. The danger will be gone. They'll be so proud of us. We'll be heroes!"  
  
Will and Summer nodded their heads enthusiastically and Alice smiled.  
  
Tori gave a very unladylike snort.  
  
"Your great plan sounds good, Edward. But I can see a few problems. Like- how can we get out of these caves? How can we find the danger? We don't have our spears or any weapons and, besides, the danger is really.well, dangerous and strong and we're just kids."  
  
Edward smirked.  
  
"The answer to all of these problems is in my backpack," he said triumphantly.  
  
He grabbed up his backpack and reached inside. All eyes were riveted on him, wide with curiosity.  
  
With a theatrical flourish, Edward pulled his hand out clutching the five small, wilted plants.  
  
Alice sucked in her breath.  
  
"Edward Malone! Those plants belong to R'tor."  
  
"Oh, he won't miss these little ones, Alice. Besides, we're going to need them if we're going after the danger."  
  
Victoria was unusually silent. The responsibility of being the eldest was once again a burden on her shoulders. Although Edward was only a few months younger than she was, she had always been the leader. She sighed and decided to hear Edward's plan before she gave her opinion. She prayed that it would be a good one. She crossed her fingers behind her back.  
  
Edward bit his lip. He'd have to sell his plan and he knew it wouldn't be easy.  
  
"Okay. Like I said, my plan depends on these t'balee plants, so I want everyone to think hard and try to remember just what R'tor told us about each part of these plants? It's very important that we remember exactly. My whole plan depends on it."  
  
They all looked at Summer expectantly. She didn't disappoint them.  
  
"I know! I know!" she shouted. Without waiting for acknowledgement, she began to recite, "Each plant has five parts, and each part has a diff'rent.poppatee." Summer frowned. "I don't know what a poppatee is though. But it sounds like it might taste good," she finished hopefully.  
  
Alice smiled at her smart little friend. "It's "property", Summer. You have a very good memory. What else did R'tor say?"  
  
The other children waited patiently while Summer searched her memory. While they sometimes found her temper scary and her behavior maddening, they all respected her ability to remember things. Her memory was quite exceptional. Many times she had repeated word for word something someone had said days or even weeks before. Most of the time she used her talent for her own advantage-like reminding her parents just what they'd said when they forgot their promises.  
  
Summer looked up. "I know what he told us, but I don't want to say all of his words, cause he talks an awful lot."  
  
"Just tell us about each part of the plant then, sweetheart," Tori said to her sister. She spoke in a soft, coxing voice that her mother used on Summer.  
  
"Okay, Tori," Summer smiled at her big sister. She recognized the tone of voice too. She found it funny that Tori and her mother were so much alike. It was like having two mothers sometimes.  
  
"I'll start at the bottom and make my way upward," she began just as R'tor had. Then she started telling them in her own way. "You can eat the roots and they make you see very, very far away. If you let them sit in water, the water becomes magic and you can see and hear anyone who looks into another bowl of magic water."  
  
Edward summarized for the others. "Roots make you see far and make magic water. You remember that one, Alice. Go on, Summer."  
  
She huffed a little at being interrupted, but went on pleasantly enough.  
  
"The stalk makes bread that makes you strong."  
  
Edward repeated, "The stalk makes bread that makes you strong."  
  
"I just said that," Summer said indignantly.  
  
"Sorry, Summer," Edward apologized. He didn't want to get her into a temper. "Will, you remember that one."  
  
Will shrugged. "That's easy. I've got some of that bread right here in my pocket."  
  
Edward looked surprised.  
  
Tori explained. "We all were given some bread for a snack before you got here, Edward. I told the kids not to eat it because it looks very orangey and unwholesome." She wrinkled her nose.  
  
"Good," Edward said. "We might need some of it before we're through."  
  
"Ahem," Summer cleared her throat. "Do you want to hear the rest or not?"  
  
"Sure, sure. Go ahead."  
  
"Let's see," she pondered, tapping her chin, "Where was I? Oh, yes. We chew the leaves and they're for speed. I'll remember that one," she said before Edward could assign it to someone.  
  
Edward nodded in acknowledgement.  
  
"The stems are full of juice that makes people and things invis.invisible."  
  
Summer smirked with satisfaction that she had remember the word.  
  
"You remember that, Tori." she said pointing her finger at her sister. "Oh, and don't spill it!"  
  
She was enjoying herself. Then her smile fell upside-down and she frowned.  
  
"I don't remember what R'tor said about the little bean. I wasn't listening to him, I guess."  
  
Alice put her arm around the dejected little girl.  
  
"That's because he was joking with us, Summer. Mom said he was just teasing."  
  
"No, he wasn't, Alice," Edward said vehemently. "He was telling the truth. I know he was. He said if you stick the bean in your ear, you'll be able to move anything you want to just by thinking about it."  
  
Summer raised her eyebrows and grimaced. "You can remember that one, Edward. I got into a lot of trouble the last time I put something in my ear."  
  
She rubbed her right ear in memory.  
  
"Thanks, Summer," Edward said.  
  
He leaned forward and handed a plant to each of the children.  
  
Looking around conspiratorially, he said in a low voice, "Now, here's what we'll do. R'tor said that the danger was spinning a vortex in the middle of the jungle."  
  
He stopped in thought then asked Victoria, "Tori, do you know what a vortex is? R'tor said it was sucking in everything that got near it. Do you think it's something like the vacuum sweeper Mom uses?"  
  
The older girl frowned. "I think a vortex is something like a hole. So it's probably more like the washtub when you pull out the stopper. You know, the water swirls around and around and all the bubbles are sucked down with the water."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds logical," Edward agreed. "So," he said decisively, "we'll find this spinning hole in the jungle 'cause that's where the danger will be, and we'll scare the danger into the hole and it'll be sucked away."  
  
"Keen!" exclaimed Will. "I'll chase it right into that old hole."  
  
Summer jumped up excitedly. "Me and Alice will poke it with our spears, too. Right, Alice?"  
  
"Right! And we can throw stones at it 'til it bleeds," Alice added uncharacteristically bloodthirsty.  
  
Tori held up her hand for silence.  
  
"I think Edward's plan sounds okay," she said slowly. "but we'll have to be very careful---and very quick. We have to be back before someone misses us."  
  
Edward grinned at her.  
  
"Oh, we'll be back before then, Tori," Edward assured her. He chuckled. "Won't they be surprised when they get all ready to go to fight the danger, and we say, "No need. We got rid of the danger this morning."  
  
All of the children smiled at this picture. There would be no more treating them like little kids after this!  
  
"Okay, this is my plan. We'll drink some of that invisible liquid and sneak out of the playroom. Then we'll follow the passageway until we come to an open entrance. Then we'll chew on a few of the t'balee leaves so we can run fast and we'll eat the roots so that we can see far, far away and it won't take us long at all to find that vortex."  
  
Alice looked puzzled. "What does the danger look like, Edward?"  
  
Edward screwed up his face in thought.  
  
"If it's an animal I can set a trap for it. Grandma Tillie showed me how to make lots of traps. I can catch anything!" Will bragged.  
  
"I hope it doesn't look like a monster," Alice said dramatically opening her eyes really wide.  
  
Summer was bouncing with excitement. "Ewwww! It might be a monster and it prob'ly has teeth this long!" She held her arms as far apart as she could.  
  
"And giant eyes-all yellowy and green!" Alice added getting into it.  
  
She and Summer looked at each other and giggled.  
  
Tori could see that this speculation would soon get out of hand, so she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.  
  
"Calm down and listen, you two."  
  
She deferred to Edward who was the leader of this expedition since it was his idea.  
  
"Tell us what to do, Captain," she teased.  
  
Edward smirked. He liked that name.  
  
"All right. Everyone pop off the bud from one of your stems. Be careful! Don't spill it!" he cautioned. "Put the bud away in a safe place, cause we may need it later. Now sip the juice."  
  
Everyone did as they were told. They tilted the plant up and sucked the juice out of the stem like it was a straw.  
  
Will made a face as the tart liquid ran down his throat, but he drank it all.  
  
When they had finished, Edward said, "Now put your plant back into your backpack. Carefully, Summer. Don't mash it."  
  
Alice was looking at the others.  
  
"We're not invisible yet, Edward. I can see all of you."  
  
"Yeah, why aren't we invisible yet?" Will complained.  
  
Edward didn't know what to say. Alice was right. They weren't invisible.  
  
Tori came to his rescue.  
  
"We can see each other, silly. It's just other people who can't see us. Now let's go."  
  
"Hey, Tori, I'm the captain. Remember?" Edward reminded her. He checked to see that everyone had put on their backpack then nodded his head.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
The small party crept out of the chamber and crawled their way to the exit. Luckily they met no one in the tunnel. At the exit, Edward took a deep breath and crawled out. He stood up as the others crawled out, too. No one was paying them any attention. He walked over to a group of Sw'atee children and stood beside them. He waved his arms around. No one looked at him. Nodding with satisfaction, he motioned the others to follow him out the door.  
  
They moved slowly down the passageway, nervous about their invisibility until a group of Sw'atee men walked right past them.  
  
The children smiled at each other. It worked! This was fun.  
  
They followed Edward down the passage in the opposite direction from R'tor's chamber. He was confident that they would soon find a way out.  
  
They hadn't been walking long when Edward suddenly motioned for them to stop. He flattened himself against the wall and the others did, too.  
  
Coming up the passage in the opposite direction was a group of five people. Four large, strange looking tribesmen surrounded another figure who was completed enveloped in a dark blue, hooded cape.  
  
Summer covered her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound as the fierce warriors walked past within a meter of her. The children stayed pressed against the rough, stone wall until the group disappeared around a bend in the passage. Just before they were out of sight, the figure in the middle of the group turned around and seemed to be looking directly at the children.  
  
All five of them let out a sigh of relief when the sound of warrior's footsteps faded away.  
  
Edward motioned for them to continue their hunt for an exit and the little group, once again, set out on their quest.  
*****  
  
With many winks and sly digs, Marguerite was telling Summerlee about Ned's and Veronica's wedding, when the sound of approaching footsteps made her break off in mid-sentence.  
  
The Sw'atee King held up his hand and smiled as five people stepped through the chamber entrance.  
  
Veronica drew in a deep breath as she recognized four of them from her childhood. The warriors took their places on either side of the doorway. The fifth person, blue cape swirling, strode up to Summerlee and gave him a respectful bow, then turned to the others and threw back the hood of the cape.  
  
The Protector of the Plateau fastened her blue eyes on Veronica and said, "My darling Veronica, come to me and let me hold you once more."  
  
Jumping up, Veronica gasped, "Mother!" and flung herself into her arms.  
  
Continued in Chapter 5 


	5. AHunting We Will Go

Apology: Sorry this chapter took me so long to post. It was a real bear to finish. I want to thank my great betas alliecat and MissMeganJane. Their suggestions and encouragement were invaluable. You two are STIMULATING!  
  
Any mistakes left in this chapter are all my own.  
  
The Five Keys  
  
By The Inner Genie  
  
CHAPTER 5: A-Hunting We Will Go  
  
Veronica, with tears in her eyes, pulled away from her mother's embrace and motioned Ned over.  
  
"Mother, I'd like you to meet my husband Ned Malone," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.  
  
Ned hugged his mother-in-law. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last," he murmured sincerely.  
  
Veronica then introduced the Roxtons who threw etiquette to the wind and hugged her too.  
  
When things had calmed down and everyone was seated once more, Summerlee called them to order.  
  
"Now, despite this happy reunion, we need to get down to business."  
  
He gestured toward Abigail. "When we asked our guests to take a look at the tablet, Abigail recognized the language. It seems to be the ancient language of Avalon, the home of the Protector of the Plateau. I understand that the danger that is now plaguing us was loose on the Plateau hundreds of years ago, and the Protector, from that time, was the one who captured it and locked it far under the Plateau."  
  
"Actually," Abigail interrupted, "that was not the first time the danger was on the Plateau and tried to destroy our home. The earliest legends tell of a being that came to the Plateau from out of the sky. It became trapped here and could not return to its home. It was an evil being with powers both awesome and terrible. It delighted in tormenting the people who lived here. It is said that it could move parts of the Plateau and set them down in other places. It could fool your mind into thinking you had walked for days when, actually, you had barely moved from your first location. Its power could reach through space and time and snare people from other civilizations and bring them to the Plateau. The giant beasts that roam through our jungle were brought here by the danger to kill and terrorize us all."  
  
She paused, hesitant to shock them any more, but R'tor waved his hand for her to continue.  
  
"The being had the power of deception. Tribes which lived only miles apart never knew the other existed, except if they happened to wander through one of the invisible portals that the danger placed all around the Plateau. It turned those it captured into evil, ruthless slaves and sent them out to torture and torment the other inhabitants of the Plateau. The danger learned to control the weather, the wind, and the water. Terrible storms with tornados, cyclones, hail, and sudden, deadly, bolts of lightning assaulted the Plateau and all that lived on it. It was a very dangerous and chaotic time. People called this being "the danger" because they were afraid that by giving it a name, they would inadvertently call themselves to its notice. Many people fought against the danger, but my ancient ancestor was the only one who was given the knowledge, the wisdom, and the power to capture it. She became the first Protector of the Plateau. Despite the fact that the danger was buried deep inside the Plateau, the fear of its return put a burden on my family. In every generation there will always be a Protector to save the Plateau if the danger reappears. The line of the Protector must be preserved."  
  
As she said these words, each Avatar warrior pounded a fist against his chest and bowed his head to her.  
  
Challenger raised his hand to stop her. "Do you mean to say that all of the strange phenomenons that we have encountered while we have been on the Plateau were all caused by this.this danger?" he asked incredulously, his mind working feverously to assimilate this new information.  
  
Abigail smiled at his excitement. "Well, I guess you could say that. However, over the years, the evolution and consequential mixing of these phenomenons have caused more strife and confusion than even the danger could have hoped for and, even more terrible, many of the danger's evil minions still roam the Plateau to this day." She sadly shook her head. "Now that it has managed to escape again, things will only get worse."  
  
"How did the danger escape this time?" Marguerite asked. She, like the others, was having a hard time absorbing all that the Protector was saying.  
  
Abigail shook her head. "No one knows for sure. A tectonic shift, perhaps, or the lava surrounding the danger lost its cohesiveness. These are only guesses. But however it happened, we think that the danger got loose about ten or fifteen years ago. Its powers had to have been weakened by the environment of its prison. Somehow, since getting loose, it has been growing stronger."  
  
She paused thoughtfully and then blurted. "I'm sure you've noticed that the Plateau's weather has been growing milder over the past few years?"  
  
Challenger's eyes grew wide with speculation. "Yes! Of course, of course," he murmured, nodding to the others. "We have noted that, but could come to no conclusions about what was causing this change."  
  
Ned raised his eyebrows. "I thought you said that the abundance of carbon dioxide expelled by the dinosaurs was causing the ozone layer to---"  
  
"Hypothesis, Ned. Merely an hypothesis," the elderly scientist interrupted hurriedly.  
  
Intrigued, Summerlee nodded his head. "And an interesting one, too, old boy." He leaned forward. "Carbon dioxide, eh. Why---"  
  
Marguerite stopped Arthur with a glare. She rolled her eyes. "Really, Ned. Look what you've done. We'll be here for days if they get started."  
  
Ned had the grace to look a little sheepish.  
  
The Protector smiled at this exchange and continued.  
  
"It is our belief that the danger has been absorbing the power from the most destructive weather that we have on the Plateau; the storms it left here the last time. Not only has it been growing stronger, it also has been growing more evil and destructive. The vortex that is spinning in the jungle is pulling in everything causing the whole Plateau to shrink. When the danger finally does appear on the surface, and it can appear in any shape or form, all of the people of the Plateau will be in mortal danger. It will be far more powerful than it was the first time it escaped. We must use every means that we have to send it back into the earth and, this time, we must be sure that it stays there."  
  
"Abigail," Roxton spoke up, "just how did your ancestors manage to capture the danger?" Roxton asked because he had been running scenarios through his mind trying to come up with a way to trap this awesome being and had come up empty handed.  
  
"Well, John, if I may call you that?" at Roxton's nod, Abigail continued, "there is one element on the Plateau that the danger has never been able to control. That element is fire. The danger is vulnerable to heat. Heat weakens its power. My ancestors used that fact to bury the danger under molten lava. The tablet found in the small cavern says that the pit at the bottom of the deeper chamber is a trap made many, many years ago in preparation for the danger's return. The pit goes deep under the mountains to the very center of the Plateau. The job of the Protector is to trick the danger into that pit and, then, seal it in with the volcanism of our home."  
  
The Protector looked deeply into the faces before her. Her voice was soft but deadly serious. "Heed this. The danger hates the Protector and knows that the Protector is the only human that can destroy it. When it gets to the surface it will try to destroy the Protectors.both present and future."  
  
Her words sent icy chills through the Explorers.  
  
*****  
  
The five children stepped out of the small cave opening that they had discovered. They found themselves on a ledge high above the jungle. Their eyes squinted against the bright sunlight.  
  
Victoria shaded her eyes with her hand and looked out over the Plateau below them. She could see for miles. She frowned. Doubts about their plan assailed her. Now that they had left the caves, the inadequacies of the plan were becoming evident. How were they ever going to find the danger? How could she and Edward keep the younger ones safe? Would they need food or water?  
  
She took a deep breath. Edward was right, though. They had to do this themselves. If they could take care of this problem then their parents wouldn't be put in danger. She shivered a little at the thought of anything hurting her parents. After all, she reassured herself, R'tor had told them that they were the chosen ones; the ones who could capture the danger and save the Plateau. So that must mean that he thought they could handle whatever needed to be done.  
  
Edward called her out of her reverie. "Tori!"  
  
"What?" She turned her head toward him and saw that the others were flapping their arms and hopping around like baby birds getting up the nerve to leave the nest.  
  
"Look here," Edward said waving his arms out to the side. "See, we don't make any shadows. Isn't that extraordinary!"  
  
"Indeed!" Will agreed, nodding his head sagely.  
  
With a shout of laughter, the two boys pointed a finger at each other and yelled, "Grandpa!"  
  
Tori ignored them and held out her arms. Sure enough, the sun shone right through her.  
  
"That's because we're invisible," Will informed her.  
  
"Gee, Will, I never would have thought of that." Tori rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
  
Edward grinned at her smart comeback.  
  
Suddenly Tori yelled, "Summer, get away from the ledge before you fall!" She turned to Alice. "Alice, can you watch her for a few minutes? I need to talk to Edward."  
  
Alice, ever ready to help, nodded and took Summer's hand as the little girl shuffled over.  
  
"Come on, Summer. Let's go sit in the shade and play with our dollies."  
  
Summer gave her big sister a pouting look just to let her know that she didn't like to be yelled at like she was a baby. She wasn't going to fall off, for goodness sake.  
  
With a deep sigh, Tori motioned Edward to one side. Her concerns about their plan were uppermost in her mind.  
  
Will followed them despite his sister's warning frown.  
  
"Edward, how are we going to find the danger?" she asked him in a low voice deliberately excluding her brother. "It may be at the vortex, but the vortex could be anywhere."  
  
Edward pondered her question. He, too, had had a sinking feeling when they had stepped out of the cave and the miles and miles of jungle were laid out before them. He had set his unease aside, though, and decided to tackle one problem at a time.  
  
"Well," he said slowly, "you're right. We don't know that it will be at the vortex, but that's still our best bet, don't you think. And as for the vortex, we'll just have to look for it, I guess."  
  
Tori tapped her chin in thought. Seconds later, her big, gray eyes began to twinkle with mischief. She heaved a big, dramatic sigh.  
  
"Well," she sighed, "looks like one of us will have to eat the roots of that disgusting plant."  
  
With a wide grin, she clapped Edward on the back.  
  
"I knew there was a reason I let you be the Captain."  
  
Will laughed at Edward's startled expression.  
  
Just as dramatically Edward drew himself up and put his hand over his heart.  
  
"It is my duty as your Captain," he intoned, "to sacrifice my life for my crew."  
  
He grinned at his two friends.  
  
"Really, I don't mind. I'll do it," he told them.  
  
"No, Edward, the roots were my thing to remember, so I'll eat them. Besides, I want to help, too."  
  
Startled, the three of them turned around to see Alice, holding Summer by her hand, standing just behind them.  
  
Every time Tori saw Alice, she smiled. She couldn't get over the change in Alice's appearance. The pretty, delicate looking, little girl with the beautiful long blond hair who looked the spitting image of her mother, now looked just like a smaller version of her brother-but her sweet nature couldn't be disguised.  
  
Edward also smiled at his sister. "Do you really want to, Alice?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, yes," she answered.  
  
Edward looked over at Tori. She shrugged. "I don't think it matters. Go ahead, Alice."  
  
"Okay," Edward said, getting down to business. "Alice will eat the roots and find the vortex. It shouldn't be hard to see from up here."  
  
Happily, Alice dug in her backpack, pulled out the t'balee plant, and wrinkled her nose at its unappetizing appearance. Then, taking a deep breath, she held the plant above her head so that the ends of the white roots hung down to her mouth. Sticking out her tongue, she pulled the roots into her mouth and chewed a few inches of them.  
  
The other children watched anxiously as she closed her eyes and swallowed. A minute passed. Suddenly her eyes flew opened and she looked around.  
  
"Goodness!" she exclaimed in awe, "I can see everything." She turned her head back and forth as she looked out over the jungle. With a yelp of excitement, she grabbed Will's arm and pointed off to the right.  
  
"Over there! Over there! I can see leaves and branches whirling around above the trees. That must be the vortex."  
  
"Now we're getting somewhere," he said patting her on the back.  
  
Summer, who had been unusually quiet, pulled on her sister's dress. "Tori! Tori! I gotta go!" She crossed her legs and grimaced.  
  
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Summer. Can't you hold it for a little while? There's nowhere to go up here."  
  
"I have to, too," Alice whispered.  
  
Tori scowled at Edward who was grinning at her predicament. He was very happy that he was a boy.  
  
"Wipe that smile off your face, Edward, before I wipe it off for you," she threatened.  
  
He laughed. Then he sobered as he saw that she was seriously frustrated. He suddenly realized that Tori must get tired of being the one the little girls always came to when they had a problem. Not to mention, if he were honest, that even he and Will depended on her to set things right. Silently, he vowed to himself that he would share the burden with her. After all, they were less than a year apart in age.  
  
Putting his resolve into effect, he looked around for a place the girls could use, but the ledge offered no privacy.  
  
"Tori, why don't you take the girls back into the cave, and while you're gone, Will and I will repack all the backpacks. We don't want things falling out of them on our way down."  
  
Tori looked at him curiously; she hadn't even thought about that problem. Suddenly she felt a little better.  
  
"Come on, girls," she said.  
  
Seeing the girls disappear, Will spoke hesitantly, "Eh, Edward, I have to."  
  
"Over the edge, Will. Over the edge."  
  
Quickly, Edward gathered up the backpacks and began rearranging the contents and buckling up the pockets so that everything was secure.  
  
It was very hot on the ledge. The afternoon sun beat down on his back. Wiping sweat off of his forehead, he saw that Will had found a tiny patch of shade to sit in. He was tempted to join him, but determined to be more helpful to Tori, he bent again to his task. However, he didn't need to suffer alone.  
  
"Will," he called without looking up. "Come over here and help."  
  
"It's too hot," the younger boy whined.  
  
"Will, now!" Edward snapped.  
  
Will reluctantly got to his feet. "Okay, okay. I'm coming," he said in a rude voice.  
  
Now I can see why Tori's grumpy sometimes, Edward thought.  
  
When the three girls reappeared, the backpacks were tightly closed and ready to go.  
  
Will was hot and grouchy.  
  
"What have you been doing all this time?" he demanded. "We've done all the work."  
  
"Really, Will. What an indelicate question," Tori chided, although her eyes glinted with amusement.  
  
Will turned away, red-faced.  
  
Edward cleared his throat. "Well, we should be getting started. While you girls were.um.away, Will and I spotted a way down." He pointed to a series of rough, stony projections that meandered precariously down the side of the mountain.  
  
"Are you mad?" Tori burst out. "We're not mountain goats. We'll have to find another way."  
  
Will, still a little miffed at his sister for embarrassing him, said, "We can do it, Tori. Don't be such a sissy. All we gotta do is eat some of that bread they gave us, and we'll be as strong as anything." He started patting his pockets.  
  
"Good idea, Will. Isn't it Tori?" Edward asked. He was anxious for her to approve the plan.  
  
"I guess that would work." She turned to the younger girls. "Take out the bread you were given in the playroom, and let's see how much we have."  
  
Edward watched eagerly as the other children pulled out the pieces of bread the Sw'atee had given them for a snack and piled them on a rock. The unwholesome looking bread didn't look any better for being squashed in their pockets.  
  
Edward wrinkled his nose at the orangey clumps.  
  
"How much do you think we ought to eat, Tori?" he asked.  
  
Tori looked uncertain, but Will didn't hesitate.  
  
"We should just eat a big bite and see what happens," he said matching his words with the deed.  
  
The other children watched curiously as Will slowly chewed, his face screwed up in concentration. Then he swallowed and smiled.  
  
"It's pretty good," he exclaimed.  
  
"Whew! I'm sure glad of that." Edward said, letting his breath out. "Okay, pick up something heavy, Will. Let's see if it worked."  
  
Will looked around, but the ledge was bare of heavy objects.  
  
Shrugging, he walked over and put his arms around Summer's stocky, little body.  
  
"Hey!" she objected as he easily lifted her up and down, up and down.  
  
"Now, me, Will," Alice pleaded.  
  
"Sure," he agreed dropping his sister back on her feet. Summer squawked indignantly.  
  
"Wait, Will," Tori interrupted. "You need something heavier to pick up. You could lift the girls before. Pick me up."  
  
With a premonition that this was probably not a good idea, Will reluctantly told her to put her arm around his neck while he bent and scooped her up into his arms.  
  
"Oops," he exclaimed as he put a little too much power into the lift and Tori went flying up into the air.  
  
"Ahhhh!" she screamed as she looked down at the ground far below and realized that she wasn't going to land back on the ledge.  
  
"Tori!" yelled the others as they, too, realized her danger.  
  
"I'll catch you. I'll catch you!" called Will. He ran to the edge of the overhang and snagged Tori's arm as she went flailing past. With a great heave, Will lifted her out of the air and set her neatly on her feet. Her legs wobbled and she fell to her knees. For a moment, she hung her head catching her breath then she looked up and glared at her brother.  
  
"Will, you idiot, you almost killed me!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Tori," Will said contritely. "I didn't mean to lift you so high."  
  
Then he gave her a big grin. "But I saved you, didn't I?"  
  
He strutted around the other children.  
  
"Did you see me, Edward? Did you see how I saved Tori?" He put his hands on his hips. "I'm as strong as a horse. Stronger, even. I'm as strong as a dinosaur!"  
  
Tori had gotten to her feet. Shaking off the help of the two little girls, she stomped over to her younger brother. Edward, taking his life in his hands, stepped between them and put up his hand to hold her back.  
  
"Wait a minute, Tori. It wasn't Will's fault. Not really. It was the bread."  
  
She knew Edward was right, but she was still scared and angry. As she turned away, she hissed to her brother, "Little weasel. Just wait until we get home."  
  
Will gulped at the threat. Then remembering how strong he was, he flexed his muscles and tossed his head.  
  
Alice was kneeling down beside the bread carefully breaking a large clump into four pieces.  
  
As Edward and Tori walked over, she stood up and handed a piece to them and to Summer, who looked at it warily.  
  
"Eat up," Edward encouraged popping his piece into his mouth.  
  
The girls followed suit. They smiled when they found it didn't taste as bad as they had thought it would taste.  
  
Edward stood still waiting for something to happen. After a minute, he looked over at Tori and Alice and grinned. They grinned back. Summer looked from one to the other, and then went, "Oh!" when she felt her muscles twitch.  
  
"Let's go," Edward said, stuffing the leftover bread into his backpack. He watched as the children shrugged on their packs and, with Tori in the lead, one after the other they pulled themselves over the ledge, clutched the rocky outcroppings, and began the dangerous journey to the jungle floor.  
  
*****  
  
Mere minutes later, safely at the foot of the mountain, the children, laughing giddily from their success, danced around whooping with excitement, and slapped each other on the back  
  
They couldn't seem to stop. Will jumped on Edward's back and wrestled him to the ground. Hooting like steam engines, they rolled around in the dirt.  
  
With shinning eyes, Alice shook off her backpack and, with one motion, peeled Summer out of hers. She grabbed her little friend from behind and began twirling her around and around.  
  
"Whee!" Summer shrieked, her feet flying out straight in front of her.  
  
Tori doubled over laughing. She pointed to her little sister.  
  
"Look out, Summer, your boot is about to come off!"  
  
Sure enough, Summer's boot, which was a little too big for her, flew off of her foot and straight up into the air.  
  
Alice started laughing so hard that she fell over, pulling Summer down with her.  
  
Will and Edward, who had rolled up against the base of the cliff, saw the girls fall down, and roared with renewed laughter. They rolled over on their backs and kicked their feet in the air with glee.  
  
Tori was still giggling about Summer's boot, but when she saw the boys, she fell to her knees gasping between giggles, "You look like turtles trying to flip back over!" This observation amused her so much, that she slowly fell the rest of the way over, and, holding her stomach, she rolled back and forth laughing until tears streamed down her face.  
  
All five of them were rolling on the dusty ground. Their laughter, echoing off the walls of the tall mountain, sent the nesting birds shrieking into the air.  
  
Gradually, the laughter died down. The children sat up one by one and wiped the tears off of their cheeks with grubby hands. Lifting dirt streaked faces, they looked at one another with puzzled frowns.  
  
Tori shrieked.  
  
"Just look at my dress. It's filthy!" She shook her head in confusion. "What was I thinking?"  
  
Alice stood up and brushed off the seat of her pants. She was glad that she wasn't wearing a dress.  
  
"Why were we laughing so much?" she asked as she pulled Summer to her feet and helped her dust herself off.  
  
"Cause I was funny," Summer declared.  
  
She raised her arms over her head and turned around slowly so that Alice could give her a good brush down.  
  
"No you weren't," Will contradicted automatically. Then he frowned. "Was she?"  
  
"I don't know," Edward said. "But something was funny. It was like I couldn't stop laughing."  
  
"Me, too," Alice said. "It was like someone was tickling us all at the same time."  
  
"It was probably that stupid bread we ate," Tori muttered, her head turned over her shoulder. She was trying to see if her dress was as dirty in the back as she suspected that it was. She couldn't believe that she had been rolling around on the ground. She was ten years old now! How embarrassing.  
  
"Maybe it was the bread," Alice agreed. "We probably shouldn't eat any more of it."  
  
"Hey!" Will yelled. "I'm not strong anymore!" He had his arms wrapped around a big rock and was straining to pick it up.  
  
Of course, the rest of them had to try, too. It was true. Even a medium size rock was beyond their strength.  
  
"Bloody Hell," stormed Will. He was very disappointed.  
  
"William Richard Roxton!" Tori said sternly. "Just wait until Dad hears that you've been cussing again."  
  
He glowered at her defiantly, and she glared back. It was a battle he couldn't win. Victoria had perfected her mother's glare, and no one could withstand its force for long.  
  
He hunched his shoulders and turned away.  
  
"I don't care," he muttered under his breath. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he kicked at the loose stones on the ground.  
  
Alice was dealing with a problem of her own. Every time she got Summer's boot halfway on her little friend's foot, Summer, who was standing on one wobbly foot, would lose her precarious balance and slam her stocking foot into the dusty ground.  
  
After the third time, Alice, waving the dust from in front of her face, coughed out, "Put one hand on my head, Summer. That way you can balance better."  
  
Tori watched them for a minute then said grumpily, "Alice, Summer can put on her own boot. She's not a baby."  
  
Alice had just gotten the boot pulled all the way on her friend. She hesitated. Should she take it back off and have Summer do it herself? The decision was taken from her when Summer jerked away from her helping hands, rushed over to her big sister, and threw her arms around her waist.  
  
Tori was not pleased.  
  
"Summer, get off of me!" she ordered, trying to unclasp the little girl's arms.  
  
Summer looked up at her, her eyes brimming with tears.  
  
"Tori, do you really think I'm a big girl?" she asked.  
  
Tori looked down at her grubby, little sister and started to dismiss her question, but found that she couldn't. She saw the emotion in her face and the hope in her eyes. For the first time she really saw Summer, not as her annoying, pesky baby sister, but as a person-a person who had, like her, the same yearning to be acknowledged as the person she was, not the person others perceived her to be.  
  
So, instead of pushing her away, Tori smiled at her sister--an honest, admiring smile that shone out of her eyes.  
  
"Yes, Summer Leigh, I think you're a big girl. The only baby in our family is Rosie."  
  
Tori was rewarded by the biggest smile Summer had ever given her-and the hardest hug. But this time, Tori returned it.  
  
"Hey, you two!" Edward called. "Alice says that she can see where the vortex has started to pull at the jungle. We're gonna have to be really careful not to get pulled in, too."  
  
Will looked up at the sky, what he could see of it through the leafy, canopy far overhead, and said, "We'd better hurry. We've been gone a pretty long time."  
  
Alice had retrieved her backpack where she had so carelessly tossed it, and was already rooting around in it.  
  
"Ahah!" she exclaimed as she pulled out the withered plant. "Chew the leaves, they're for speed," she chanted.  
  
It took the other children a moment to realize what she meant and another moment to join her on the ground and to begin digging out their plants, too.  
  
Adventurous Will chewed three of the brittle, crunchy leaves before his sister slapped his hand away from going for the fourth and told him to stop.  
  
"Will, what are you doing? We don't know how many we should chew."  
  
"Well, I ate three and I'm okay."  
  
Edward shrugged. "Then, three it is," he decided.  
  
A quiet crunching noise joined the sounds of the surrounding jungle.  
  
Alice, chewing the dry and slightly sour leaves, looked around at her friends. They were all so brave, she thought. She swallowed with determination. She would do her best to keep them safe.  
  
"Buckle up your packs really tightly," she reminded them as they scrambled to their feet.  
  
"Okay, everyone." Edward said. "This is it. From now on, we have to be really careful. The danger is out there somewhere and we're going to find it and destroy it."  
  
"Yeah!" Will shouted, pumping both fist into the air.  
  
Summer slipped her hand into Tori's. They smiled nervously at each other, and then laughed. Alice came shyly over to stand with them and Tori held out her other hand to the delicate, blond-haired beauty.  
  
"We girls have to stick together, you know," she said with a wink. "Hold tight."  
  
"Come on, troops," Captain Edward ordered. "Let's move out!"  
  
One second they were there and a second later they weren't. The bushes that surrounded the small sunny spot at the bottom of the cliff swished back and forth as if from a breath of a hurricane and then stilled.  
  
*****  
  
Seeing the frightened faces in front of her, Abigail decided it was time to reveal more of the plan deciphered from the tablet found in the hidden chamber.  
  
"Yes, the Protectors will be in danger, but so will every living thing on the Plateau. The threat will only increase as the danger grows stronger. But I really believe that now is the time to defeat it, and your children are the keys. Our job is to protect them while they carry out their destiny."  
  
She held out her hand, and a Sw'atee, who was not there a moment ago, handed her the sleek, brown tablet that had had such a mysterious affect on their lives.  
  
"As I have told you, the plan for trapping the danger if it escaped was put into motion many years ago. I have read the tablet. The plan is simple, but the execution is not. I will not lie to you, if all goes as planned your children will be in the path of the danger. I believe, though, that with your help, they will be safe."  
  
Marguerite shook her head. "No!" She turned fear-filled eyes toward Roxton. "I don't think I can go through with this, John. It's too much to ask of us." Before he could answer, she jumped to her feet and turned to glare at the King and the Protector. She repeated angrily, "It's too much to ask of us! Do you know how hard it is to raise children on the Plateau? How difficult it is to keep them safe, to keep them from worry and fear?" She turned to her friends. "We've worked hard to make our corner of the Plateau safe for our children, haven't we? The rest of the Plateau is not our problem!"  
  
Roxton stood up and took her gently into his arms. She buried her face in his chest. Veronica and Ned were horrified but not surprised to see her anguish. They knew how protective she was of her family.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence in the king's chamber.  
  
With a quick glance at R'tor, Abigail spoke, her voice filled with compassion for the distraught woman.  
  
"I understand, Marguerite," she said quietly. "I, too, raised a child on the Plateau. I honor what you all have done to protect your families, but eventually even your safe corner will not be safe. If the rest of the plateau is not your problem now, it will be your children's problem later."  
  
Roxton looked beseechingly at Veronica, silently asking for her help.  
  
Veronica took his meaning and, although her heart had misgivings, too, said reassuringly, "We'll be there with the children, Marguerite," she promised her. "We will protect them."  
  
Roxton sat down with his wife beside him. She had regained some of her composure. It helped that Ned and Veronica looked so confident.  
  
She looked at her old friends. "So, you think we should let the children do this?" she asked.  
  
Veronica glanced quickly at her husband, and then nodded her head. "Yes, Marguerite, Mother is right. If we don't defeat the danger now, the Plateau will never be a safe place for our children---or any one who lives here."  
  
Marguerite sighed and looked at Ned. "Is that what you think, too, Ned?  
  
"Yes," he said confidently. "As much as I would like to take my children home and keep on living like we have been, pretending that the danger will never touch their lives, I know now that this is not true, in fact, the opposite is true. If we don't stop the danger now, we will never be able to provide our children with the safe environment we wish for them."  
  
"Do you agree, John?" Marguerite asked her husband. She knew that he was even more protective of the children than she was.  
  
Roxton rubbed his forehead. "Although I don't like it, I think Ned and Veronica are right, my love."  
  
Marguerite crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the people around her. "Then, if we're going to put our children on the front lines, we'd better be damn sure we win."  
  
Roxton laughed, and said loudly, "Watch out, danger, you don't know who you're up against."  
  
The others laughed, too.  
  
"Now, Abigail, please tell us everything we need to know," Roxton asked.  
  
The Protector, satisfied, nodded and picked up her tale.  
  
"As I said, the plan is simple. I, as Protector of the Plateau, will lure the danger into following me deep under the mountain. My path will end at the small chamber that the Sw'atee discovered. In this chamber, it will be up to me to fool the danger into falling into the pit. Your children will be in the chamber, too. As soon as the danger falls over the ledge into the pit, their job will be to seal up the pit so that the danger cannot climb out."  
  
"Wait," Veronica interrupted, "how will they close the pit?" A terrible thought came to her. "Don't tell me they'll be sent down over the ledge into that.that fiery hell!"  
  
"No, no," Abigail quickly assured them, reaching a hand out toward her daughter. She tried not to show it, but she felt and shared the parents' fear.  
  
Summerlee shook his head. He had never seen the Protector of the Plateau rattled before. Abigail seemed reluctant to get to the point that was of the greatest interest to the parents-the part their children had to play in this daring plan. He suddenly realized where her anxiety lay. Her grandchildren, and the line of the Protector, were to be put right in the danger's path! But that danger could not be helped. Time was growing short. His old friends needed to be given all the information the Protector knew in order to play their parts.  
  
The old man breathed deeply in through his nose and blew out a breath of determination. His voice when he spoke was again the voice of a king. Even the Protector of the Plateau started at the sound.  
  
"Enough! The plan is the only hope for the Plateau. It must go forward no matter the danger. Protector, explain the plan quickly. There is no time to lose."  
  
Abigail steadied herself. R'tor was right. It didn't matter that the plan was dangerous.  
  
There was strength in her voice as she continued.  
  
"Quickly then. Deep beneath the mountains, there are two chambers that are joined by an archway. The first chamber where you and the children will be contains the carved column that is described on the tablet. If you go through an archway in the chamber's fourth wall, you will be standing on a narrow ledge that overlooks the second chamber. This second chamber is shaped like a funnel with its steep walls narrowing down to the deep, dark pit at its bottom. There are volcanic fissures in the walls of this chamber that send jets of steam hissing out."  
  
"The tablet says that inside the small holes carved into the column in the center of the first chamber are magical mechanisms that will open the fissures and release molten lava into the steep walled chamber. The lava will cover the pit and continue down inside the earth until is covers the danger as well. Heat robs the danger of its strength. Without its power the danger will not be able to return to the surface of the Plateau."  
  
Abigail rubbed her fingers contemplatively over the carving on the tablet.  
  
"Remember I spoke about a prophecy? Well, after reading the tablet over and over, each time gleaning more information, we have come to understand that this plan to capture the danger was based on a prophecy spoken by the Protector of that time. The Prophecy of the Five Keys it is called. "  
  
She smiled at her daughter and her friends, and her voice became softer. "You must have wondered why you were all brought together to the Plateau and never allowed to leave. Well, the Plateau needed you here. Your destiny was to produce the children who will fulfill the Prophecy of the Five Keys. Only with their help can we seal in our mortal enemy once again."  
  
She smiled gently at their shocked faces.  
  
Marguerite felt calm enough to tease her husband just a little. Her eyes glittered with mischief.  
  
"Our destiny? See, John, all your reluctance to get involved with me was for naught."  
  
"My reluctance!" the hunter exclaimed before he realized she was teasing.  
  
"That's right, my friends," Arthur chuckled at Marguerite's jibe. "At first I thought the Five Keys mentioned in the tablet were the five of you, then, when we found out about your children, we knew that they were the ones predicted by the prophecy."  
  
"What exactly did this prophecy say about our children?" Ned asked for them all.  
  
Arthur looked over at Abigail, raised his eyebrows, and nodded his head for her to continue.  
  
She ran her finger down the side of the tablet.  
  
"Here it is." She looked up at them. "It says that a time will come when five special beings, born on the Plateau, will unite to help the Protector return the danger to its prison. These special beings are the only ones who can release the mechanisms inside the column. The prophecy describes these beings in a very cryptic way to protect them from the danger's dark minions who still hunt for the Protector and any who would pose a threat to their master. The description is in the form of a rhyme. This rhyme was very difficult to understand and loses a lot in the translation, but here goes.  
  
"The first key is the chosen key, wise and strong and tall - The second key protects the land, for it once saved us all - The third key is the speaker's key to tell us what to find - The fourth key is the heart key, warm and good and kind - The fifth key is the fire key, hot and burning bright These Five Keys together will wield the Plateau's might."  
  
She stopped and frowned. "I'm afraid a word in this next part has not been translated. I'm not sure if it has to do with the Five Keys. Let me read it and perhaps you all can help."  
  
'To keep the menace captive, the blank will close the door. The smallest blank will pull the ring. The danger is no more."  
  
"Let Marguerite have a look at it, Mother. She can read just about anything."  
  
Veronica smiled over at her dear friend.  
  
Summerlee bestowed a beatific smile on the two women who had to come so far in order to find their friendship.  
  
Marguerite took the offered tablet and bent her head to study the strange markings on its polished surface. Abigail pointed to the word that she couldn't decipher.  
  
The rest of them were silent while the linguist of their group frowned in concentration.  
  
The Sw'atee standing on either side of the cushioned throne looked at each other over the top of R'tor's head. They were pleased that their king had found his friends, but at the same time, the noise and bustle surrounding them was very foreign and upsetting to them.  
  
The Avatar warriors did not look at each other. Their eyes were fastened on the Protector and their thoughts were consumed with her protection.  
  
"Damn it!" Marguerite cursed in frustration. "I can't tell what the word means. It seems to be such a simple word but I just can't figure it out."  
  
"Never mind, my sweet," Roxton soothed, loathe to see her upset again. Then more hopefully he said to Abigail, "Perhaps its meaning will become clear to us when we need it to."  
  
Abigail sighed. "Let's pray that it will."  
  
"Okay," Veronica said thoughtfully. "Let's say that our children are the Five Keys. What do they need to do?"  
  
"As I have said, the holes in the column contain mechanisms that, when activated simultaneously, open the volcanic fissures that surround the pit. I will lead the danger into the small chamber. As soon as the danger falls over the ledge, your children will reach into the holes and pull out the rings that activate the mechanisms."  
  
"That's it?" Ned looked around at the others. "That's all they have to do? He raised an eyebrow at Abigail. "Far be it from me to question my mother-in-law, but the five of us can pull out the rings just a well as the children. They needn't be put in any danger at all."  
  
Marguerite and Roxton nodded in agreement. Challenger stroked his beard and nodded to Tilly.  
  
"Ned's right," he said. "Tilly and I will volunteer for the job as well."  
  
Only Veronica held back. She had been on the Plateau far longer then the others, and she knew that nothing was as simple as it seemed. She shared a look with her mother.  
  
"I afraid that won't work," the Protector said gently. "You see, as the people were constructing the trap, one of the danger's dark minions found the chamber. He cast a spell that made it impossible for anyone living on the Plateau to gain access to the mechanisms. He was killed before he could escape, but the damage had been done. The Protector was not able to lift the spell. She found a way, however, to modify it so that through her prophecy, when the time was right, the mechanisms would work. To further protect the trap, she had the chamber buried. It was no coincidence that the Sw'atee found the chamber and the tablet. It was time. Now your children, the Five Keys, are the only beings who have the power to work the mechanisms. It is their destiny."  
  
Something she had said clicked in Roxton's mind. "You have mentioned the danger's dark minions several times. I believe that we have run into a few of those in our time."  
  
"Yes," the Protector frowned. "All of the danger's evil legions were not captured. Even though over the years many were found and killed, there are still some that roam the Plateau to this day."  
  
Before anyone could react, a disturbance at the chambers entrance drew the group's attention.  
  
Ry'see, holding a very sleepy looking Rosie, hurried into the room, her face a mixture of anxiety and fear. She looked only at her king as she said as loudly as she could, "Their children---their children have gone!"  
  
Roxton strode over and took his daughter from the distraught woman's arms. Rosie put her head on his shoulder and stuck two fingers into her mouth.  
  
They crowded around the Sw'atee teacher and bombarded her with questions. All of their misgivings about letting their children go off with strangers had returned.  
  
"Silence!" shouted the king. The frantic noise stopped. He flicked his finger in a 'go' gesture at his two helpers and they disappeared. "I have sent the Sw'atee to look for the children, and they can do a much faster job of it then you can. Now, let Ry'see tell her story."  
  
Ry'see licked her thin, white lips and bravely met the eyes of the strangers. She held up a round object between her thumb and finger.  
  
"A t'balee bean!" whispered Challenger in wonder. Ry'see nodded at him.  
  
"Yes. We found this in a small gathering chamber inside the children's tunnels. We don't know how it got there since our children are strictly forbidden the use of the t'balee plant. The only way it could have gotten there is if your children brought it in," Ry'see explained.  
  
Arthur nodded. "Edward may have left some plants in his pack." At the dark look from Edward's parents, he said hastily, "Quite by accident, I'm sure."  
  
"And that is not all," Ry'see continued, gaining confidence from her king's calmness. "Runners have checked all of the passageways to the open entrances, and one group found a spot near an opening where several people." She clamped her lips together and leaned in to whisper in R'tor's ear.  
  
"Yes, well. I see. Ahem." he equivocated.  
  
"What?" snapped Marguerite. Then she quieted when her sharp tone made the baby jump.  
  
"It seems they found a spot where someone, or several someones,.ah.relieved themselves." Arthur's kind face was pink with embarrassment.  
  
"Peeing in a cave.sounds like something my children would do," said Roxton with a twinkle in his eye despite the seriousness of the situation.  
  
Veronica was pacing. She stopped before the pale teacher. "So you're saying that you think our children got out of the playroom unseen and made it to an outside entrance?"  
  
Ry'see could only open and close her mouth in the face of this angry woman.  
  
"Now, Veronica," Ned, said putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. "The children couldn't have left the caves without being seen by someone. You heard what Arthur said. The Sw'atee runners are questioning everyone. Someone must have seen where they went."  
  
Tilly had taken the bean from Ry'see and was looking at it contemplatively.  
  
"It may be that no one saw them at all, Ned," the Zanga woman said. "If the bean is out of the plant, then perhaps the liquid is also. The children could be completely invisible."  
  
Challenger leaned in to kiss her cheek. "A regular Sherlock Holmes, isn't she?" he said proudly,  
  
"Arthur, would the plant hurt the children?" Veronica asked worriedly.  
  
The old man frowned. "Oh, it won't make them ill, Veronica dear. In fact, our school children, as a sort of vitamin booster, are given bread made from a mixture of the t'balee stalk and wheat flour. They have never shown any adverse affects from this bread. However, some of the properties of the plant do have an, uh, unfortunate affect on our children and especially on adults and children who are not native Sw'atee. Because of this, we have found it best not to let the children have any other part of the plant, except for the leaves, until they are quite grown."  
  
He paused, then added reassuringly. "Even if your children do ingest the plant, the affect on them will not be harmful and will wear off very soon."  
  
Somewhat mollified, Veronica looked over at her husband who was rubbing his temple, silently mulling something over.  
  
"I just can't understand why they would leave the caves," Ned muttered. He suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at the others. "Surely, they wouldn't have gone after the danger on their own?"  
  
This idea was enough to silence the room. Marguerite was the first to respond.  
  
"I don't know about the others, but our Will would." She looked at her husband with a mixture of panic and accusation.  
  
"Hey," the accused father shot back, "Will's got your wild, impulsive streak." He raised one eyebrow speculatively. "He's got my courage, though," he added proudly.  
  
"Foolhardiness, you mean," Marguerite muttered.  
  
Abigail had been thinking. "You know, on our way up here, I could have sworn that someone was in the passage with us." She looked over at her guards. "I guess not, though. If they had sensed anything dangerous, they would have acted on it."  
  
The Avatar warriors stared ahead stone-faced. Invisible children had posed no threat to the Protector.  
  
Without a sound of warning, R'tor's two Sw'atee attendants appeared beside the old king.  
  
"What have you found out?" R'tor asked them.  
  
He was answered with effusive whispering, like wind rustling the summer leaves. A satisfied look came over R'tor's face as the whispering wound down. He nodded his head several times and rubbed his chin.  
  
"Well?" everyone chorused.  
  
"Ahem." Arthur cleared his throat. "Your children were not found inside the mountain. Of course, if they are invisible, they might be here still. The invisibility wears off after an hour or so, so we will continue to look for them. One more thing, the opening with the.ah.evidence has nothing but a ledge outside of it, so unless your children are rock climbers, I'm afraid they could not have gotten out that way."  
  
"Rock climbers." Roxton said grimily. "If they have the benefit of the t'balee plant, they could have jumped off that ledge for all we know."  
  
He looked at the others. "I say that's the place we start looking."  
  
"Agreed," Ned and Veronica said together.  
  
Marguerite turned a very worried face toward Tilly. "Tilly, I hate to ask you to watch Rosie again, but you're the only one I completely trust."  
  
"Nonsense," Challenger broke in gruffly. "Ry'see can take care of the baby. Tilly should come with us. It isn't fair for her to miss all of the excitement.I mean helping with the search. You just give that baby over, Tilly, my dear, and we'll be on our way."  
  
Tilly, who had taken Rosie from her father, smiled at her mate. "Now, George, I can help best by doing what I'm best at. Your friends will need your skills, and Rosie will need mine." She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, though, for being my pa-tika," she finished in her native language.  
  
Challenger smirked.  
  
"Thank you, Tilly. We are very grateful for your help." Roxton pulled the small, native woman into a one armed hug and dropped a kiss on Rosie's curly head.  
  
"Da, Da," Rosie babbled cheerfully, pointing a chubby, little finger at her father.  
  
"Ah, it is a wise child who knows her own father," he quipped.  
  
"Let's go," Marguerite groaned, pulling him out the entrance after the others who were already out in the passageway.  
  
*****  
  
With two Sw'atee as guides, it didn't take them long to reach the cave opening. Before they went out on the ledge, they looked at the 'evidence', but it told them nothing. Only the fact that it hadn't dried up, indicating that it had been done fairly recently, was of interest.  
  
Roxton went out on the ledge first and used his keen tracking skills to see if there was any sign of the children. The ledge was pretty bare. The wind and rain combined to keep it swept clean. It wasn't until his nose was practically touching the stony floor, that he found the crumbs from the orange bread.  
  
"Here!" he shouted. "I've found something."  
  
The others crowded around him trying to see what he was pointing at. Roxton carefully pinched up the tiny crumbs and held them out for them to see. The Sw'atee murmured to each other excitedly, then wandered off on their own, scouring the rocky ledge for more evidence of the children's passing. Moments later they were back with small, white strings held in their pale palms.  
  
Whistling with excitement and pointing at the strings, they frowned and shook their heads.  
  
"What are they saying, Marguerite?" Veronica asked.  
  
"The white bits are t'balee root and the orange crumbs are from the bread the children were given," she translated excitedly. "The children must have been out here!"  
  
"Can you ask them if they can look out in the jungle for them?" Veronica asked with hope in her voice.  
  
Before Marguerite could ask, Roxton, Ned and Challenger let out a whoop.  
  
As the others clustered around them, Ned pointed out the scuffmarks on the rocky outcroppings beside the ledge.  
  
"Looks like something went down this way," he said.  
  
Marguerite looked over the edge of their high perch and paled.  
  
As if reading her thoughts, Roxton said confidently, "Well, if they did, they made it down safely." He looked around at the group. "And if they could do it, so can we. Who's with me?"  
  
Understanding the tall man's intentions, one of the Sw'atee tapped Marguerite on the shoulder. He quickly spoke to her, pointing back into the cave entrance and then pointing off into the jungle.  
  
"Hold on, John," Marguerite called to her impetuous husband who was already testing his grip on the first handhold. "They say that they can open an entrance down at the bottom. The short one says that he can see the vortex out there. If the children saw it too, that's probably where they're headed."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Roxton replied to his wife.  
  
Minutes later, they stepped out of the opening the Sw'atee had made in the solid, rock wall.  
  
Ned looked back at the seemingly magical opening and muttered, "I'll never get used to that."  
  
"I do wonder how they do it," Challenger said frowning. "I'll have to ask Arthur when we get back."  
  
Veronica and Roxton were absorbed in trying to comprehend the meaning of the myriad of clues-footprints, broken twigs, trampled grasses, etc-that had been left behind, quite clearly by the children.  
  
"They were here all right," Veronica said. She frowned.  
  
"John, do you see any footprints leading away from here?" Veronica asked the hunter.  
  
"No, and that's what's got me worried. It looks as if they just disappeared." He frowned and rubbed his forehead. "Like they were simply lifted away."  
  
"Could it be that they were picked up by a.a, oh, you remember, that flying machine from the future? The one that could land and take off straight upward," Challenger queried.  
  
"Do you mean a helicopter, George? Well, I hardly think so. Someone would have heard it. If I remember correctly, it created quite a racket," Roxton replied.  
  
"True, true," murmured the scientist.  
  
The Sw'atee and Marguerite were standing at the edge of the jungle talking together. The taller of the two men was making elaborate hand gestures. Marguerite nodded, shook her head, bit her lip, and in all ways indicated that she didn't like what she was hearing.  
  
Finally, she heaved a big sigh and called to the others.  
  
"The Sw'atee say that the children probably ate some of the t'balee leaves and raced off. That's why we don't see any footprints; their feet barely touched the ground."  
  
"Great. Now how are we going to find them?" Ned sounded very discouraged.  
  
Veronica put her hand on his arm. "We'll find them, Ned. Arthur gave us special permission to use the t'balee plant. We can catch up with them before they get to the vortex." Veronica spoke more optimistically than she really felt. She could tell that the children had left this area some time ago.  
  
Roxton was champing at the bit to be off. He was worried about the children, especially Will. At almost eight-years old, his son was a bit too competitive and impulsive. He acted like he was completely invincible- a feeling that could be extremely dangerous in these circumstances. The boy lacked horse sense, as Roxton's late father would say.  
  
"Marguerite, tell the Sw'atee to dig out those plants. We're going to have to hurry if they're going to show us the way to the vortex."  
  
"Oh, they won't be coming with us, John. They can't stand the heat or the sun. Besides, they have to stay here to help Abigail by opening caves when she needs them to."  
  
Roxton nodded understandingly. He held out his hand for the small, dry, gray leaves that the pale men were handing out. "Well, then, we'll be depending on you, my dear, to show us the way."  
  
Marguerite spoke to the Sw'atee once more. She then turned to her husband and friends.  
  
"Okay. The vortex is northeast of here. Challenger, have you got your compass with you?"  
  
"Oh, indeed I do." He pulled off his pack and rummaged through it. His face lit up as he withdrew his hand but his smile quickly turned into a scowl as he saw he had pulled out a round, smooth stone. "Now, how did that get in here?" he muttered and threw the rock over his shoulder. Once again he reached into his satchel.  
  
His friends were bouncing with impatience, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Aha!" he exclaimed at last holding up the sought for item. He turned it this way and that admiringly. "Such a simple device, but oh so very useful."  
  
"Any time, George, any time," said Roxton between gritted teeth.  
  
"Oh, of course. Let's see." He turned with the compass. "Yes! That way." He pointed off to his left.  
  
Ned held up the leaves resting in his palm. "Chow down, everyone."  
  
They did.  
  
Then, with a wave to the two Sw'atee, the five friends took off.fast.  
  
*****  
  
Running neck and neck with Edward, Will looked back at his sisters and Alice and grinned.  
  
"Come on, slowpokes. Can't you go any faster?"  
  
Tori looked down at the two little girls running on either side of her. She winked.  
  
"Oh, I think we probably can. Come on girls," she said, grabbing their hands in hers.  
  
Whoosh! Summer stuck out her tongue at Will as the three girls ran past.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Will called.  
  
"Quiet, Will," Edward ordered suddenly. He pulled the younger boy to a stop beside a large tree.  
  
"Tori, come here!" he shouted. The urgency in his voice brought her running back pulling the younger ones with her.  
  
"What is it, Edward?" she asked, panting slightly.  
  
Edward put his finger to his lips. "Shhhh, I think I heard something ahead of us. Something really big."  
  
The children stood still straining their ears to hear they knew not what.  
  
Summer cupped her ears with her hands and scrunched up her face listening as hard as she could.  
  
After a tense minute, she put her hands down and smiled. "Aw, there's nothing here, Edward. You were just teasing."  
  
ARRROOOR!  
  
The children froze. They had heard that sound before, but only in the far distance. The older ones knew what it was and their hearts beat faster.  
  
"Tyrannosaurus Rex," Alice breathed just as the ground began to shake.  
  
"Quick, behind the tree!" Tori hissed. She grabbed Summer's hand and Edward pushed Alice before him. They scrambled around the back of the thick trunk.  
  
Tori popped her head back out. "Will! Get over here, now."  
  
Will was standing right where they had all been a moment before. He was craning his neck trying to catch a glimpse of the giant dinosaur. He looked over his shoulder at his sister.  
  
"Why? We're invisible." He held out his arms to show her that he made no shadow. "It won't be able to see us."  
  
"Will!" Tori called again, but it was too late.  
  
The T-rex crashed through the underbrush and loped into the small clearing. It raised its snout and sniffed the air, then roared as it lowered its savage head. Its shiny, evil eye blinked practically in Will's face.  
  
Edward had been creeping out to drag the younger boy back, but froze as the animal turned its eye on him. Will, seeing the beast looking at his friend and the fear in Edward's eyes, ran over and kicked the dinosaur's scaly leg as hard as he could.  
  
"Ha-haha" he laughed. "Try to catch me, you ugly monster!" he yelled.  
  
Using his t'balee speed, he began to run around and around the confused predator. The big animal roared and turned its head from side to side trying to see what made the noise and the wind he felt swirling around him.  
  
Behind the tree, the other four children looked on with despair. Tori was beside herself with worry.  
  
"Edward, please watch the girls. I'm going after Will."  
  
"Wait, Tori. We'll all go. We'll snag Will and keep on running."  
  
"Okay, but let's hurry."  
  
The two brave children each took one of the younger girls by the hand and raced out from behind the tree.  
  
Will was in his thirtieth orbit around the huge beast that was now staggering dizzily around and snapping its fearsome jaws in an attempt to catch the invisible pest.  
  
Picking the best moment, the four children ran into the circle just behind Will. As they began the race to get the young boys attention, Tori looked down and gasped.  
  
"Shadows!" she yelled.  
  
Will looked over his shoulder and saw his friends behind him. Tori's meaning did not dawn on him for a few moments, and then he, too, looked down and saw the tell-tale shadows.  
  
"Follow me!" he called back and made a run for the protection of the thick jungle foliage. The others were now close behind him.  
  
Although very dizzy and confused, the giant dinosaur saw the children suddenly appear and opened its huge mouth as if to scoop them all up in one bite. Fortunately, the children were far enough into the trees that all the T-Rex came away with was three bushes and a python. Furious now, it shook the bushes from its mouth, swallowed the snake as an hors d'oeuvre, and lumbered after its fleeing entree.  
  
The children were running fast, but so was the beast, driven on by hunger and just plain cussedness.  
  
Deeper and deeper into the jungle they ran with the giant predator still behind them. They were crossing a small clearing when Alice suddenly dug in her heels and yelled, "Stop!"  
  
Edward was jerked backwards since he was holding her hand. The others ran several yards ahead before they could turn and head back to where the Malones stood.  
  
Will was jumping up and down, waving his arms in alarm. "We have to keep going, Alice. That T-Rex is still coming for us."  
  
"We can't go any further," the blond girl said, her blue eyes wide with worry.  
  
Her brother knew that she wasn't usual a stubborn person, so he asked her gently, "Why can't we, Alice?"  
  
"I can see." Her voice trailed off. She wasn't sure how to describe what her enhanced vision had shown her.  
  
"What, Alice?" Summer asked curiously.  
  
"Alice, is it the vortex?" Tori guessed.  
  
Alice nodded her head. Her eyes were full of tears. She was glad that her friends didn't have to see the devastation that the vortex was causing.  
  
She bit her lip and thought how to answer. "Everything ahead of us is stretching out. The vortex is pulling it in, just like you said it would. We can't go any further or we'll be pulled in, too."  
  
Through the dense jungle behind them, they could hear the roar and thud of the approaching dinosaur.  
  
Edward looked over at Tori. Now what should they do? They were between a rock and a hard place, all right.  
  
"Well, if we can't go forward, we'll stay and fight that old T-Rex. BIFF! BOP! WHAM!" Will said swinging his fists in the air and bouncing on the balls of his feet.  
  
"Will," his sister said repressively.  
  
Will shrugged a bit sheepishly. "Well, not if you and Edward don't want to, of course."  
  
"Why don't we climb that big tree over there?" Summer asked, pointing to a tall tree with lots of branches. "Then Rex won't be able to eat us."  
  
Edward eyes opened wide with surprise. Summer's idea was a good one.  
  
Tori hugged her little sister. "Great idea, Summer, let's do it."  
  
As they headed for the tree Summer had indicated, Alice whispered to her brother, "I told you Summer was smart."  
  
"I'm beginning to believe you," Edward murmured.  
  
Climbing the tall tree was not hard for the Plateau children. They helped each other up to the highest branches. Tori sat with Summer safely beside her, braced against the solid trunk.  
  
They waited anxiously for the giant beast to appear, and it wasn't long before a great rustling in the underbrush heralded its arrival. With great loping steps it sprang into the clearing and without breaking stride, it pushed through bushes on the other side and disappeared from view.  
  
The five children high in the tree let out their breath in relief. Alice looked after the beast and then closed her eyes as she saw the animal caught in the relentless grasp of the spinning vortex.  
  
"It's gone," she whispered. "The vortex sucked it in."  
  
"Poor dead Rex," sympathized Summer a little uncertainly and then leaned a little closer to her sister.  
  
"I'm glad it's dead!" Will declared stoutly.  
  
"I am too," Edward said with a shudder. "But that's not a nice way to go."  
  
Tori had a very determined look on her face. "Well, it's obvious that we can't go on, so it looks like it's here that we take our stand," she said.  
  
"What? Oh, yeah, you're right." In the relief of evading the dinosaur, Edward had let the reason for their journey slip to the back of his mind.  
  
Slowly, they climbed down from their safe perch.  
  
Standing on the ground, they looked at each other.  
  
"Well? How are we gonna fight the danger?" asked Will. Then, answering his own question, he said, "We could run around it and get it all dizzy like I did the T-Rex."  
  
Summer had been unusually quiet, partly because she didn't want to say or do anything that Tori might think was babyish, and partly because she didn't quite know what they were doing. However, her reticence was rapidly wearing off.  
  
"Yeah, Will. It got all dizzy like this." Summer staggered around with her eyes crossed and her tongue hanging out.  
  
Alice giggled.  
  
Summer did look funny. Tori looked over at Edward and clamped her lips around a grin. The younger boy rolled his eyes.  
  
Sometimes Edward was much too serious, Tori thought.  
  
Summer finally fell down and Alice tried to pull her up, but they were both laughing so hard, that she kept dropping her. Will, gnashing his teeth and growling, was stalking them. He held his arms drawn up in front of his chest like the T-rex's small limbs. He loped over to the girls and roared. They squealed and tried to smack him as he circled them.  
  
Victoria looked at the chaotic scene and blew out her cheeks. Maybe Edward had a point. It was time to get back to business. She put her hands on her hips and called, "Will, Summer, Alice, get over here, now!  
  
Her brother and sister ignored her, but Alice whipped her head around. She tugged on Summer's dress.  
  
"Summer, Summer, Tori wants us. We better go."  
  
Summer didn't hear her. She squealed again and tackled Will around his ankles. He fell with a grunt and then squealed himself when his little sister sat down on his back, pinning him down. Summer beat his head like a drum and screamed, "I'm a vortex! I'm a vortex! I'm glad you're dead, you mean Rex!"  
  
"Stop it, Summer. Stop!" he yelled covering his head as best he could with his hands. "Get off of me!"  
  
Alice saw Tori stomping toward them, so she bravely grabbed Summer's arm and tried to pull her off of poor Will.  
  
"Get up, Summer," she pleaded. "Get up. Tori's coming."  
  
With a triumphant "HAH!", the little terror stood up and put her hands on her hips. Will scrambled to his feet. Rubbing his head, he glared at his sister, but before he could say anything, Tori loomed over them.  
  
Alice looked around for her brother. If this was going to be one of those Roxton fights, she wanted an ally.  
  
While the other children were playing, Edward had been walking the perimeter of the clearing to see if he could see any sign of the danger. Everything looked normal until he came to the place where the T-Rex had torn through the jungle in its mad pursuit. There, several yards past the trampled vegetation was another, smaller clearing encircled by tall, white stones.  
  
This looks promising, he thought. He turned around as he heard someone behind him.  
  
Alice ran toward him, her short, blond bob bouncing with every step.  
  
"Edward!" she panted as she reached his side. "The Roxtons are fighting again and we don't have time for one of their rows. You have to stop them."  
  
He sighed and looked over to where the Roxton children were yelling and pointing their fingers at each other.  
  
"I don't know what you think I can do, Alice."  
  
"Talk to Tori," she pleaded.  
  
He sighed again and scratched his head. "Okay. Let's go." He really had little hope of being successful.  
  
The Malones arrived just in time to see Summer burst into tears and fling herself on her sister.  
  
Alice was aghast to see her little friend so unhappy.  
  
"What's wrong with her, Tori?" she asked, her own lip trembling.  
  
Tori reached down and smoothed wild hair from her little sister's forehead.  
  
"I think the dinosaur really scared her," she whispered.  
  
Will, all animosity forgotten, stooped down and tilted his head so he could see Summer's face. He patted her on her back.  
  
"Did that mean old T-Rex scare you, Summer?" he asked. His voice was very kind. For all his bravado, Will knew what it was to be scared.  
  
Summer nodded and transferred her boa-like grip to her brother's neck. Surprised, Will barely managed to sit on the ground before Summer plopped into his lap. She sobbed against his chest.  
  
Tori knelt down and rubbed the distraught child's back.  
  
"It's okay, sweetheart, I was scared, too," she said gently.  
  
"Me, too, Summer. I was scared to death," Alice agreed.  
  
"I almost fell off the branch when it jumped out of the jungle" admitted Edward a little shamefaced.  
  
Summer raised her head. "You did?" she asked between great gasps.  
  
Edward nodded.  
  
"Listen, Summer. I was so scared my HEART nearly popped out of my MOUTH!" Will said with emphasis.  
  
Summer sniffed loudly and smiled a little despite her tears. Will said such funny things, sometimes.  
  
"We were all scared, Summer," Tori said.  
  
Edward added, "But you saved us. You thought about climbing up the tree."  
  
He stood in thought for a minute, then straightened up and ordered in his Captain's voice, "Summer, please stand up."  
  
Summer looked at Will. He nodded encouragingly, so she scrambled to her feet.  
  
She squinted one eye shut and tilted her head to look up at the older boy. She wondered what Edward was up to.  
  
Edward stood stiffly at attention and looked down his nose at the little girl.  
  
"Summer Leigh Roxton, your quick thinking under dire circumstances has saved as all. As Captain of this expedition, it is my honor to appoint you my second in command. From this moment on, you will be Lieutenant Summer."  
  
Summer gaped at Edward until he brought his hand to his forehead, then she snapped to attention and returned his salute. She grinned at him. The children had often played soldier, but this was the first time that she had been chosen as an officer. She knew it was a great honor, although she wasn't exactly sure why.  
  
Will, Alice, and Tori saluted her too. Then they all laughed and clapped Lieutenant Summer on the back. Alice winked at her brother to let him know that she thought he had done well.  
  
As the girls walked away to get their packs, Will sidled up to the Captain and said in a low voice, "I say, Edward, can I be a lieutenant, too? I can be very helpful, honest I can."  
  
Edward raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Okay, okay," Will amended, negotiating like mad. "Then how about sergeant? I would make an excellent sergeant. I.I could carry all the weapons."  
  
"Will," Edward said, slipping into his backpack, "we don't have any weapons."  
  
"Right!" Will said brightening. "I could make some weapons and then I could carry them."  
  
"Put your pack on, Will. We need to get on with this."  
  
Will sighed, but did as he was told.  
  
Quickly, Edward told the others about the stone circle. Their enthusiasm for their quest returned as Edward described his mysterious finds.  
  
"Maybe we should eat a little more of the t'balee bread," he suggested. "We'll need to be strong to face the danger."  
  
"NO!" shouted Alice, startling everyone. "We agreed not to eat any more of the bread. It's not safe."  
  
"I didn't agree." Will denied. "I liked being strong."  
  
Alice ignored him and turned to the oldest girl.  
  
"Tori, you don't think we should eat any more, do you?"  
  
Hearing gentle Alice so outspoken and vehement, Tori thought seriously about her question.  
  
"I think we were affected by the bread," she said remembering how silly they had become after they had eaten it. "And if we eat more, it might affect us even worse. I don't think we should take that chance unless we have no choice."  
  
Alice let her breath out. For some reason, she felt very strongly that the t'balee plant was not good for them.  
  
"Hey, don't the rest of us get to vote on this?" asked Edward. He hated to go against his sister, but he wanted to have every advantage in their upcoming confrontation.  
  
Tori looked at Alice and then shrugged her shoulders. "That's fair, I guess."  
  
Alice shook her head hard and opened her mouth to protest, but Tori put her hand up to stop her.  
  
"We have to, Alice."  
  
The young girl subsided.  
  
"All right, who votes to use the bread again?"  
  
Will shot his hand into the air and waved it around. Edward hesitated for a moment, then, he, too, raised his hand.  
  
"Two against two," Tori said unnecessarily. She looked at Summer. "Well, Summer, it looks like you have the deciding vote."  
  
Summer frowned. She wasn't EXACTLY sure what deciding meant, but she was used to voting.  
  
She put one grubby finger on her chin and looked around at the others.  
  
Will grinned, waggled his eyebrows, and silently pointed back and forth between Edward and himself. A move that confused Summer even more.  
  
Summer made up her mind.  
  
"Lieutenant Summer votes for Alice," she declared hugging her friend.  
  
"Awwww," moaned Will in disappointment. Edward shrugged philosophically. He hadn't really expected anything else.  
  
"Lieutenant Summer, are the troops packed up and ready?" Edward barked.  
  
Summer whispered to the others, "Are you?"  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Yes, sir. They're ready," she answered.  
  
"Good job."  
  
Summer beamed.  
  
The afternoon sun shone through the tall trees and cast long shadows in front of children as the little band tramped over the sunny clearing and into the dappled jungle. The stone circle was even more awesome close up. The stones were not stones at all, but huge, standing crystals that glinted with living light with every passing sunbeam. On the far side of the circle, several of the stones had been toppled over by the blundering, giant T-rex. Alice grabbed Edward's arm as he started over to check them out.  
  
"No, Edward. Don't go over there."  
  
"Why, Alice? What do you see?"  
  
"The edge of the vortex," the blond-haired girl said with a shudder.  
  
Summer ears perked up. "I wanna see that," she declared and started off.  
  
Will jumped in front of her and blocked her way.  
  
"Whoa, Summer. You can't go over there. You'll get sucked right up like this," said her brother making a loud sucking noise.  
  
"No, I won't." She glared at him. "Lieutenant Summer says move!" she ordered.  
  
"Hey," Will frowned. "You can't order me around. You're not a real lieutenant. You're just a..a baby lieutenant."  
  
Before Summer could explode, Alice pulled Will around by his arm.  
  
"Don't you dare call Summer a baby! She's very big, and very smart, and she's a REAL lieutenant, too!" The usually composed Alice was upset. She whipped around and spoke to her little friend.  
  
"And, Summer, you CAN'T go over there because it's very, very dangerous. Why, it's even too dangerous for Captain Edward!"  
  
Summer was as surprised as the rest of them to see Alice so outspoken.  
  
"Alice is right, Summer. None of us should go any closer," Tori said as she reluctantly turned away from examining the crystals. She wished her mother could see them.  
  
She looked at Edward.  
  
"Well, we're here, Captain. Do you want to call the danger or should we all call together?"  
  
"Let's all call," Edward decided. "Are you ready?"  
  
At their nod, he counted, "One, two, three."  
  
"DANGER!" they all shouted, then waited expectantly.  
  
Edward shrugged. "Let's try again."  
  
"DANGER!" they yelled even louder.  
  
"I guess it's not com.." Tori started to say when suddenly a misty figure began to appear behind the fallen stones on the other side of the circle. A large figure.  
  
The children stepped back, fearful for just a moment that the T-Rex had escaped the hungry vortex after all. Edward took Alice's hand and protectively pulled her behind him, but she would have none of it and bravely stepped up beside him. The two younger Roxtons stepped closer to their big sister and Summer held tightly to a handful of Tori's dress.  
  
The apparition began to take form and the children were relieved to see that the form was human. A tall, broad-shouldered man started forward, but stopped just short of the fallen crystals. Dark hair streaked with white fell like a cape down his back. It was held back with a golden circlet pulled down low over his forehead. Bushy, black eyebrows covered cold, clear, turquoise blue eyes.  
  
If he was surprised to see five children standing in front of him, he didn't show it.  
  
"Who called the Destroyer of the Plateau from his work?"  
  
"We did," Will piped up, then swallowed loudly as the creature focused his icy eyes on him.  
  
Alice stepped in front of Edward, her temper flaring up anew. "We came to tell you that you must leave the Plateau and never return," she yelled.  
  
Shocked, Edward looked down at her, then quickly back at the danger. "Y.yes, you're not wanted here and you'll leave right now if you know what's good for you."  
  
The Destroyer laughed rudely and started to answer, then clamped his mouth shut, cocked his head to one side, and pursed his cruel lips. He stretched his head forward and looked more closely at the children. His head jerked back and a spasm of a smile cracked his face.  
  
"Well, what have we here?" He threw back his head and laughed. "Has the Protector grown small and weak, while I have grown strong and invincible?"  
  
A sudden thought came to him and he snarled, "Is this some trick? I have learned the Protector's ways and I am not so easily taken in."  
  
He spat as he spoke the Protector's name, his face becoming truly hideous as images of his alien visage swirled just under his skin.  
  
"This is no trick," Tori bravely began. Will's face registered surprise. Had his sister forgotten their purpose? "Yes, it is," he whispered hoarsely.  
  
Tori quelled him with a look.  
  
Averting her eyes from his fearsome visage, she drew a deep breath and shouted, "Edward is right, you'd better leave right now. If you don't, we will use our magic powers to defeat you."  
  
"We'll push you into the vortex!" Will shouted defiantly.  
  
"Yeah, and we'll make you all dizzy like the Rex." Summer shook her fist at him.  
  
"Go away! Go away!" Alice began to chant. The others joined in.  
  
The Destroyer snorted angrily at this nonsense of a threat. What magical powers could these children have that would make them unafraid to taunt the danger? He glared at them and would have dismissed their claim of magic altogether if he had not strongly sensed the aura of the Protector hovering over them. How dare the Protector send such small minions to threaten him! He should crush them where they stood! He started to lunge toward the children, but then he hesitated remembering that the Protector was clever and tricky and would know how he would respond. Well, he was too clever to fall into her trap so easily. Instead, he threw back his head and laughed an evil, menacing laugh. Perhaps he should not destroy these creatures just yet, but show the Protector that her threat did not frighten him. He pointed his long, pale finger at the children and Summer came flying off of her feet straight into his evil grasp.  
  
*****  
  
As if out of the air, four of the Explorers suddenly appeared next to the children inside the crystal stone circle. The children cried with relief and clung to their parents.  
  
Challenger, holding his hat firmly on his head, popped into existence a few seconds later. "My word," he exclaimed as he caught sight of the standing crystals. Then he gasped, "My word," as his eyes fell on the beast.  
  
"DADDY!" Summer screamed. "Make him put me down!"  
  
"Give me the child!" shouted Roxton aghast at what he saw. Roxton pointed his rifle at the evil being, ready to shoot when he got a clear shot. The beast laughed and waved his hand. The rifle flew out of the hunter's grasp and clattered to the ground a few feet away. Roxton stepped forward to pick it up.  
  
"Stay back," the creature warned the frantic father. He held the little girl even higher above his head. "I wouldn't want to drop her." His manic laugh sent chills down Roxton's spine.  
  
Suddenly he stopped laughing and stared curiously at the group in front of him.  
  
"What's this?" he hissed. "I feel the presence of the Protector even more strongly, and yet, I do not see her."  
  
Veronica stepped forward, thankful that the danger didn't recognize the future Protectors. "Please. We just want to take our children home. Put the child down and we'll be on our way."  
  
"We'll be on our way," he mimicked. "Why should I listen to any of you? If the Protector thinks she can trick me. "  
  
His voice trailed off as, with a brilliant flash, the Protector herself appeared in the center of the circle. Gone were her long, dress and the midnight blue cloak. She was dressed in a short, golden dress that barely reached her knees. The dress was fastened on one shoulder with an intricately worked gold clip, and she wore her long, silver hair in a tight braid.  
  
The Explorers gasped and the children quaked as they saw her materialize.  
  
She stood with her hands on her hips and sneered with contempt at the evil being.  
  
"Why should I waste my time with a coward such as you?" Abigail asked "Frightening children." She laughed derisively. "You are weak. You will never rule the Plateau."  
  
The danger roared at her insults. "We will see who is weak," he shrieked and the images under his skin bulged and writhed. "When you are dead, the Plateau will be mine."  
  
As he lunged toward Abigail, she turned and ran back into the jungle, laughing at him. The monster roared again and followed his nemesis into the jungle. Before he disappeared into the dense foliage, he seemed to notice that he still held the human child. Without a second thought, he tossed poor Summer over his shoulder.  
  
Summer screamed as she fell through the air.  
  
With a shout, Marguerite, Roxton, and Challenger rushed to catch her. Challenger got there first, and the little girl fell heavily into her Grandpa's arms. Marguerite snatched up the sobbing child and held her closely.  
  
"It's all right, sweetheart," she crooned. "You're safe now. The monster is gone and Mommy and Daddy are here."  
  
The other Roxton's gathered around her patting her back and saying soothing words to calm her fears. The little family was so busy with their current crisis that they didn't notice the crisis that was building on the other side of the crystal circle.  
  
"You can't go after her," Ned shouted holding Veronica by her shoulders.  
  
"Yes, Ned. I have to. She shouldn't have to do this alone." Veronica's eyes were steely with determination. Ned squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his hands. He knew that look.  
  
"Please don't go, Mommy!" begged Alice holding tightly to her mother's arm. Her eyes were awash with tears.  
  
Edward held her other arm, and he was crying too.  
  
"No, Mom. No!" he cried.  
  
Veronica stooped down and swiftly took her children into her arms.  
  
"I have to help your grandmother, my darlings. She's my mother. You understand, don't you?"  
  
Alice clung to her, sobbing into her shoulder, but Edward sniffed back his tears and nodded his head.  
  
"I understand. You have to help your mother."  
  
Veronica gave him a grateful look and carefully untangled herself from her daughter's arms. Ned picked up Alice and held her, sobbing, against his chest.  
  
"Be careful," he begged, looking into his wife's eyes with all the love, understanding, and respect he had always shown her.  
  
Veronica nodded. She quickly kissed her family and followed the danger's trail through the jungle.  
  
"Mommy!" screamed Alice as her mother disappeared.  
  
The Roxton family heard the little girl's anguished cry. Forgetting their own terror, they rushed to see what had caused it.  
  
"Where's Veronica?" Marguerite asked breathlessly. Reading the answer in Ned's look, she fell silent.  
  
Challenger, still reeling from the swift turn of events, demanded, "Well, where is she, man? Where did she go?"  
  
Ned nodded toward the jungle. "She went after Abigail," he said calmly.  
  
"Good God, Ned! Why did you let her go? It's much too dangerous out there."  
  
Edward placed a hand on the older man's arm. "Grandpa," he said gently, "that lady is her mother. She went to help her. She'll be okay. Really."  
  
"Well, of course she will," Challenger harrumphed. "Your mother could always take care of herself."  
  
He looked over at the other adults.  
  
"Well, what do we do now?"  
  
Marguerite, John, and Ned shared a look.  
  
"We continue with the plan," Roxton shrugged.  
  
"We'll have to get back to the chamber, then," Marguerite said wiping Summer's tear streaked cheeks with her pocket handkerchief.  
  
Roxton lifted his hat and rubbed his hand over his hair. "It's a hell of a long way back," he huffed.  
  
Ned rocked the still sniffing Alice in his arms. "Do we have anymore t'balee leaves?" he asked  
  
"Dad," Will said pulling on his father's pants.  
  
"Perhaps if we check all our pockets." Challenger suggested slapping the sides of his jacket.  
  
"Dad!" Will shrilled tugging more forcefully.  
  
"What is it, Will?"  
  
"Look!"  
  
The young boy pointed to the largest crystal in the circle. As everyone watched spellbound, the narrow crack that Will had observed slowly opened and out stepped a pale Sw'atee woman. She motioned for them to come and whispered excitedly.  
  
"She says she's here to take us to the chamber, " Marguerite exclaimed.  
  
"What chamber?" asked Tori.  
  
"We'll explain as we go," her mother assured her.  
  
*****  
  
Far beneath the Plateau the Protector dodged into a narrow opening as shards of razor sharp stone whizzed past her. She suppressed a groan of pain as several sliced through the thin material of the gown and cut into her side. The danger's strength had indeed grown and her plan was not going well. The danger twisted and turned the tunnels until she wasn't sure if she was still headed in the right direction. Now, she was trapped in this dead end. Desperately, she looked around hoping to see a crack in the rocks around her open and a Sw'atee motion her through.  
  
The roar of the danger echoed off of the rocky walls. She wanted it to follow her, but she needed to keep some distance between them. Her heart pounded and the wound in her side oozed blood. She had just decided to make a run for it in the hope that the Sw'atee would catch up with her when from across the tunnel she heard the welcome sound of stones sliding apart.  
  
"Mother!" hissed Veronica. "Come this way. Quickly!"  
  
Her hopes of success soaring at the sight of her daughter and two Sw'atee standing inside the large opening, the Protector pressed her hand against her bleeding side and stepped out of the concealing niche. She stood for a moment until the danger spotted her.  
  
"You'll never catch me, coward!" she taunted and then ducked into the opening.  
  
With a roar like an avalanche, the danger followed.  
  
*****  
  
The late afternoon sun glinted a rainbow off of the tall crystal as the crack Will had spotted got larger and larger until it was big enough for even the men to get through. The whole group piled in and after a long walk filled with questions, explanations, and planning, they were very surprised to find themselves in the large chamber where the steps to the mysterious room were located. Their Sw'atee guide smiled shyly and handed a soft flask containing magic viewing water to Roxton. Then, with a nod, she disappeared.  
  
Ned looked around and saw the steps with the bright glow illuminating them from below. He sighed. The time had come to get the children into place so that they could play their roles in trapping the danger.  
  
"Leave your backpacks here," he instructed. "We won't need them below."  
  
They all piled their packs in one corner of the chamber and assembled at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Now stay close to us, children," Marguerite reminded them.  
  
Roxton raised one eyebrow at his son. "Do you understand, William?"  
  
"Sure, Dad. I get it." Will smiled up at his father and took his hand. He was very glad that his Dad and Mom were with them now. He admitted to himself that the danger had been very scary, indeed.  
  
Their nerves on edge, the adults slowly lead the children down the winding stone stairs. The air got warmer the deeper they went. At last the little group reached the small chamber where the mysterious column sat, its carved holes like black eyes watching them enter. Where the fourth wall should have been was an archway that glowed with bright light.  
  
While the others were examining the column, Edward and Tori looked at each other in silent communication. Quietly, they started walking toward the glowing opening. They were extremely curious to see what the chamber through the archway looked like.  
  
Stopping before the archway, the two children peered through the opening into the cavern. A narrow ledge was all the flooring they could see. Tori waved Edward forward and they stepped out onto the ledge. Through the steam, the children looked down and could just make out the pit far at the bottom.  
  
"Edward! Tori!" a voice called behind them. They turned to confront a stern-faced Ned.  
  
"You were told to stay with us. Get away from there and come over here. You must be in place when the Protector needs you."  
  
"Coming, Dad," Edward hastened to reply. He and his friend hurried over to where the rest of the group stood.  
  
The adults positioned the children around the openings in the stone column which were at different heights and different sizes. They went over the instructions again, and then they all waited.  
  
Just as the children began to squirm with boredom, a crack appeared in the wall across from the steps. The crack widened, and, as everyone watched, Abigail, Protector of the Plateau and Veronica, future Protector, came running through the opening. Behind them a terrible noise erupted and then the danger, no longer human looking but grotesque in face and form, emerged only steps behind them. Veronica veered off to come to a halt, panting, beside her husband. Alice cried, "Mommy!", and began to rise, but her mother shook her head at her and gently pushed her back down.  
  
Everyone else had eyes only for the action that was taking place before them.  
  
The enraged monster ignored the second woman and reached out its long, tentacle-like arms to grab the Protector. His fingers brushed through the air just inches from her back. Abigail reached the glowing opening and leapt. Roaring, the danger leapt after her.  
  
For a several heartbeats, the people in the chamber froze. Then Abigail swung back into the room on a hidden vine that the tablet had told her was there landing hard on her knees. Wrapping both arms around her middle, she raised her head and shouted, "NOW!"  
  
The children, responding more quickly then the adults, reached into the apertures and pulled the metal rings that met their questing fingers. Almost simultaneously they jerked out their hands and held the rings above their heads. With a loud, exploding noise, the fissures in the smaller chamber burst open and lava, thick, red-gold, and oozing death poured down the steep walls to run into the pit at the bottom.  
  
They shouted in triumph and jumped to their feet. Veronica rushed over to her mother and helped her up. Blood ran from the wounds covering the Protectors legs and more blood seeped through the gold cloth covering her side.  
  
Veronica looked up as the others came rushing to her aid.  
  
Without stopping to examine her injuries, Challenger said, "Take her up to Arthur, Veronica. I'll come and help."  
  
"We'll all come," Ned said decisively.  
  
"No," the Protector gasped. "It's not over. You're all still needed here. Veronica can take me."  
  
"What do you mean, not over?" Marguerite demanded nervously. As if in answer to her question, a small hole squealed open in the wall next to the archway.  
  
The Protector, supported by her daughter, turned painfully as they reached the stairs. She pointed to the new opening.  
  
"The door. You have to close the door or the lava will fill all the caves in the mountain." she panted.  
  
"Right, we'll take care of it," Ned assured her confidently seeing the panic on Veronica's face. He could tell that she was torn as to where her help was needed. He winked at her and waved her off. Reluctantly, she turned back and supported her mother up the steps.  
  
As the two women disappeared from sight, Ned faced the others. "Now what?" he asked.  
  
He was answered by a loud explosion in the lava chamber that made everyone jump. Large rocks shot up from the pit and the floor shifted. They all staggered.  
  
When the movement settled down, Roxton examined the small hole which, according to the prophecy, would close a door and seal the lava chamber off. He stuck two fingers in, but it was a tight fit. He shook his head. It was a very small hole, indeed.  
  
"Summer, come over here. It looks like we need your help, again."  
  
Summer broke away from her mother and ran to him. He picked her up. She reached out her arm, and it was obvious that even her four and a half year old hand was too big.  
  
"Try, Summer," Roxton told her encouragingly.  
  
Summer gave him a sideways look and put her hand to the hole. She put all five of her fingers in, but could reach no further.  
  
She clamped her lips together with determination and tried again. She shoved and twisted her hand, but it just wouldn't fit.  
  
"Stupid hole!" she shouted and then burst into tears.  
  
Roxton hugged her. "It's all right, sweetheart. You did your best."  
  
The chamber floor rocked again, and the children screamed.  
  
"How are we going to get it closed, Dad?" asked Tori. She thought quickly. "If we had a stick, we could pull the ring with it."  
  
"That's a good idea, Tori, but there're no sticks down here." Roxton's pronouncement didn't stop the children from looking around for one, though.  
  
Challenger didn't like to be bested, so he looked around for inspiration. He spotted the flask of viewing water and held it up.  
  
"Let's check with Arthur. Maybe they've been able to figure something out."  
  
Roxton nodded anxiously. "We have to do something."  
  
Challenger poured the water into a shallow depression in one of the stones that littered the floor. The water sloshed for a minute and then settled and R'tor's familiar face floated into view.  
  
"Summerlee," Roxton shouted. "We have a problem. We can't get the bloody door shut!! The bloody hole is too small to put a hand in it!"  
  
"Have you tried?"  
  
"Of course we've tried! The hole is too small, I tell you. What does that stupid tablet say? How are we supposed to close the door?"  
  
Another deeper rumble made the water slosh and Summerlee's face moved back and forth, back and forth.  
  
The children squealed as they tried to keep their footing.  
  
"Calm down everyone," Ned shouted. "Arthur," he said into the settling pool. "Read us what it says about closing the portal."  
  
"Wait, wait," the old king said. His face in the water disappeared only to reappear seconds later holding the stone tablet in one hand and the piece of paper that contained the translation of the dark tablet's strange language in the other. Muttering the words under his breath, he quickly reread the translation.  
  
"Tsk, tsk," he clicked his tongue. "I really thought that the door could be closed the same way the fissures were opened. The Five Keys, you know." He paused as he studied the translation. "Are you sure the children tried very hard?"  
  
"Yes, yes, I tell you. This is a different hole. None of them can get their hand inside." Roxton was frustrated and worried, too.  
  
Ned stepped up. He spoke calmly but they could hear the tension in his voice. "Read us what it says, Arthur."  
  
"Well, you know that the last bit of writing on the tablet has not been completely interpreted. Let me see, let me see," he dithered.  
  
Marguerite pushed Ned aside and leaned her face down close to the water's surface.  
  
"Oh, for God's sake, Arthur! Hold the tablet up so that I can see it. I'll take another look at it and see if I can tell you what that word says.  
  
"A very good idea, Marguerite. Here, can you see it now?  
  
"Hold it still, can't you. I can't read it flying about like that."  
  
"Wait. I'm propping it up. There, is that better, my dear?"  
  
"Better," she said grudgingly. "Let's see." She leaned over the basin and mumbled to herself as she read the prophecy. As she got to the end, she nodded her head and spoke the last line out loud.  
  
"These Five Keys together will wield the Plateau's might. Okay, here it is down here." She studied the strange markings but the same word, repeated twice, that she hadn't been able to interpret before still made no sense to her. In frustration, she pounded her fist on the side of the bowl and, as if in response, a large boulder shot straight up out of the flowing lava and slammed into the roof of the cave only to fall back into the molten rock.  
  
"Hurry, Mommy," Summer urged. "The monster is coming up!"  
  
"Arrg, it's no use. I just - I just can't make sense of it. What bloody thing can both seal a door and pull a ring?" she moaned.  
  
Will moved to stand beside her and peered into the bowl.  
  
"That's okay, Mom. Maybe I can tell you what it says."  
  
"Will, if I can't read it, what makes you think you can?"  
  
Challenger put his hand on her shoulder. He looked at Will's calm demeanor and heard his confident voice.  
  
"Let the lad try, my dear," he told her.  
  
Alice stepped up beside Will and slipped her hand into his.  
  
"Go ahead, Will. I know you can do it."  
  
Will glanced quickly over at her but didn't jerk his hand away. He turned back to stare into the water. His lips moved silently as he read it to himself. He shook his head and read it again. He leaned closer and frowned. When he lifted his head, a huge grin split his face.  
  
"It's easy," he bragged.  
  
"Well, don't hold us in suspense, boy. Tell us what it says," his father demanded.  
  
"Okay," he said agreeably. "I'm going to start right here," he said and touched his finger to the water near the bottom on the tablet's reflection.  
  
In a singsong voice, the young boy began to read slowly.  
  
'To keep the menace captive, the lock will seal the door. The smallest lock will pull the ring. The danger is no more."  
  
The others looked at each other.  
  
"Lock," Marguerite murmured to herself. "I never thought of that." Grinning, she ruffled her son's hair until he yelped and dodged away.  
  
Ned blew out a breath. "Well, Summer's the smallest. I guess she needs to try again."  
  
Roxton raised one eyebrow in doubt, but picked up his daughter and held her up to the hole on the wall beside the lave chamber.  
  
"Okay, sweetheart, please try again," he urged.  
  
The heat in the chamber was becoming intense.  
  
"She needs to pull a ring, John," Challenger reminded him. He wiped the sweat off his forehead.  
  
"I know she has to pull a ring, damn it, but she has to get her hand in there first."  
  
"Daddy, I still can't get my hand in. The hole is too small," Summer wailed.  
  
"That's okay, sweetheart. You gave it a good try." Marguerite said glaring at Challenger as she took Summer from her father's arms.  
  
"What do we do now?" Ned asked no one in particular. "Summer's the smallest and it doesn't work for her."  
  
"Summer's not the smallest, Dad," Edward disagreed.  
  
"What do you mean, Edward?" Ned asked.  
  
Edward put his palms up and raised his shoulders in an 'isn't it obvious' gesture. "Rosie is. She could get her hand in that hole."  
  
"By god, you're right, Edward. Why didn't we think of that?" Challenger asked excitedly. "Rosie is the lock. Of course!" He turned to Roxton. "We need to get Rosie down here."  
  
"Now just a minute, George," Marguerite snapped. "I agreed to let my older children help, but Rosie is just a baby. I won't allow her to get involved."  
  
Marguerite held Summer tighter, turned her back on the older man and moved to the wall. Unfortunately, the wall took that opportunity to move toward her. It bowed out, but didn't crumble. A loud roar came up from the pit and almost shook them off of their feet. The wall bulged out again and Marguerite jumped back with a shriek.  
  
Summer clung to her neck and shrieked, too.  
  
Victoria ran to her mother and threw her arms around her. "Please, Mother, let Rosie come down. We'll all protect her. We can't let the danger out after all it took to trap it. Please!"  
  
Summer leaned back, placed a hand on each of her mother's cheeks and looked her right in the eyes.  
  
"Mommy, Rosie won't mind. She loves to help out."  
  
Marguerite looked over at her husband. He shrugged resignedly.  
  
"I think we don't have a choice, darling. Tori's right. We've invested too much into this to see it all go for naught."  
  
"But how will we get her down here?" Another tremor rumbled up from the pit and the heat increased as the lava inched nearer to the ledge. "We don't have too much time left."  
  
"Hullo! Hullo!" came a faint voice from the forgotten pool of water. They all rushed over to peer once again into its shallow depth.  
  
"I'll send Rosie down with Madame Tilly," Summerlee beamed. "She's already nibbling on the t'balee leaves so she'll be with you in a moment.  
  
"Tilly?" George said in surprise. Then he smiled. "Leave it to my Tilly to find a way to get into the action. She's been itching to try out that plant."  
  
They stepped back to await the arrival of the smallest member of their party. They didn't have to wait long.  
  
With a whoosh, Tillaka stood in front of them with Rosie in her arms. Rosie's eyes were opened wide with surprise, and her baby curls stood up all over her head-blown backwards by the speed of her journey.  
  
She blinked and reached out her chubby little arms to her father. "Da, Da," she shouted, with a bright baby grin.  
  
Everyone looked at the adorable baby and smiled. They couldn't help it. Rosie brought sunshine even to the darkest situations.  
  
Roxton kissed his youngest daughter and quickly carried her over to the hole. He lifted her up until she could reach into the strange aperture. "Come on, Rosie. There's a good girl. Put your hand in the hole."  
  
Rosie grinned and patted her father's cheek and blew a big bubble in his face.  
  
Roxton wiped his face off with his hand. "No, no, Rosie," he said patiently. "Put your hand in this hole." He smacked the wall next to the hole. Rosie frowned as she watched her father's actions. Then she smiled and leaned toward the hole. Every breath was held as the baby put her hand out and ---smacked the wall next to the hole.  
  
A swoosh of air could be heard as they all let out their breath.  
  
"The hole, Rosie. The hole," shouted Challenger.  
  
Marguerite frowned at him. "She's just a baby, George. You're scaring her."  
  
The ground shook again and they all staggered about trying to keep their balance. Again, a roaring sound blasted out of the pit, louder and closer than before.  
  
"Hurry, hurry, Rosie," Summer pleaded. She clung to her mother. The other children grabbed the hand of the closest adult.  
  
Alice stepped up to stand beside Roxton and Rosie. "Here Uncle John," she said, pulling something from her pocket. "Put this cracker in the hole. Rosie loves to play Put and Take."  
  
Roxton frowned in confusion, and then a broad smile spread across his face. "Thank you, Alice. That just might be the ticket."  
  
He took Alice's offering and held it up for Rosie to see. "Okay, my little Rose Bud, would you like this nice cracker? Of course you would," he said as the baby lunged for the treat. He held it just out of her reach until he was sure that he had her attention, and then he put it just inside the opening and, with a flick of his finger, he sent it flying out of sight, deep in the hole.  
  
Rosie blinked her eyes at the cracker's sudden disappearance. She leaned forward and looked into the dark hole. She turned her face to her father, her bottom lip trembling.  
  
Alice tugged on the baby's foot. "Where's your cracker, Rosie? Where did it go?" she said in a high pitched voice, one she had heard the grownups use with the baby. "Find it, Rosie. Find your cracker," she urged.  
  
Another terrible rumbling shook the ground. Rocks blasted up through the lava and the roar that accompanied the eruption was ear-splitting.  
  
"John," Marguerite shouted. "We have to get the children out of here!"  
  
"Give me one more minute, Marguerite. I think Rosie is about to do it!"  
  
Will pushed Alice gently aside. Rosie smiled down at her brother. She loved to play with Will.  
  
"Rosie, will you give Will a bite of your cracker?"  
  
Rosie crowed with delight.  
  
"Yum, yum," Will said smacking his lips and rubbing his stomach. Then he opened his mouth wide.  
  
Rosie squealed and lunged for the hole. She stuck her hand in and frowned. It was obvious from her expression that she didn't feel the cracker.  
  
"Pull it out, Rosie," Will urged. "Pull hard."  
  
The baby frowned again and tried to pull her hand out. It was stuck! She pulled again and then again. Her hand came popping out of the hole, and she crowed in puzzlement. Instead of the small cracker she expected, a bright, shining, gold ring glinted on her finger.  
  
"She did it!" shouted Will. "Good Rosie."  
  
Everyone signed in relief and waited for something to happen.  
  
The great, fiery river continued to flow into the open pit, the steam and heat became more intense, and no door closed anywhere.  
  
Ned broke the silence. "Wasn't the lock supposed to close a door?"  
  
Will nodded excitedly. "Yes, Uncle Ned. When Rosie pulled out the ring, the door was supposed to close and keep the lava out of here."  
  
Hearing its name, the lava let out a forceful burp and shot a fiery plume into the air.  
  
"Well, it didn't work. I suggest that everyone get up the stairs, fast!" Ned shouted.  
  
Just as he finished speaking, all hell broke loose. The small chamber began to shake. The walls bulged in and out, the floor tilted and the rock basin that held the magic water fell over with a crash. The Explorers were thrown around as they lost their footing on the madly heaving floor. Summer and Alice fell to the ground and screamed. Marguerite ran to help the little girls up, but was thrown down herself when the floor gave another rumble. Roxton handed Rosie to Challenger. Challenger held the baby tightly to his chest and headed for the stairs and safety up above. But how safe were the caves above? Would the deadly lava flow upwards until the Forever Caves were filled as well?  
  
"Tilly?" he called over his shoulder.  
  
"I will follow you soon, husband," she called as she saw the little girls fall.  
  
Everyone was screaming and all of the little children were crying. Tori held on to Will and pulled him toward the stairs. Tilly rushed forward and helped Marguerite to her feet and they both reached for one of the girls. Ned and Edward were fighting their way across the chamber to help the others, but the bulging walls hampered their progress.  
  
The chamber was unbearably hot now. The lava was inching ever closer to the ledge and would soon fill the small chamber as well.  
  
Marguerite picked up Summer and hugged her close. She looked around wildly, counting heads and pushing everyone toward the stairs. They were all on their feet but she couldn't see Roxton through the thick steam that was filling the room. Frantically, she called his name and heard through the uproar a soft moan coming from the corner. She threw Summer into Ned's arms as he and Edward approached through the haze.  
  
"Get my children to safety, Ned," she pleaded anguish in her voice. "I have to help John."  
  
"I'll take care of them, Marguerite, I promise," he said. He knew that he was promising her more than his words said.  
  
Marguerite nodded--understanding his deeper promise.  
  
Quickly, before her heart could break, she turned away and followed the sounds of her husband's moans. She found him lying on the floor up against the wall. He was holding his head and blood was running between his fingers. She knelt down beside him and reached out to touch his bloody face. She struggled to stay calm.  
  
"John," she said gently. "Can you stand up? We need to go, now."  
  
He lifted his head and tried to focus his eyes on her face. Tears sprung into Marguerite's eyes as she realized that he couldn't move.  
  
She sat down and pulled him into her arms.  
  
"It's all right, my love. I'm here with you. Close your eyes and rest."  
  
The heat and the haze thickened around them as they rocked together.  
  
John stirred in her arms and she soothed him again.  
  
"Don't worry, darling, we've been in worse situations. We aren't going to let a little lava get the best of us," she whispered.  
  
Her brave words were in stark contrast to the silent tears running down her cheeks.  
  
Minutes passed before a strange, grinding sound drew her attention away from her misery. She looked in the direction of the sound but the haze and the glare from the lava chamber made the room too bright for her to see what was making the noise. The sound continued, louder and stronger. Marguerite squinted her eyes and looked again. And then she noticed that the bright opening to the lava chamber was getting smaller. As she watched, the grinding noise continued and the light shrunk to a narrow strip and then disappeared altogether. The loud, scrapping sound stopped, too. In seconds, the haze and the heat of the room also disappeared. Marguerite stared. The opening was now a solid looking rock wall!  
  
She gently propped John against the wall behind him and stood up. The floor felt solid under her feet. The walls were no longer bulging in and out. The air was clean and a soft light filled the room from some hidden source. She walked to the new cave wall and carefully ran her hand over it. It looked as if it had been there for millennia. No matter how carefully she looked, she could see no seam, no crack to indicate that the wall had not been there moments ago.  
  
"Marguerite."  
  
She turned at the hoarse call and found John sitting up wiping the blood from his eyes.  
  
"John!' she cried and ran to him. She pulled him once more into her arms but this time her tears were of relief and hope.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, then, as memory returned, he got jerkily to his feet. Marguerite stood up with him, supporting him as he swayed.  
  
"Where are the children?" he demanded. "We've got to get out of here!"  
  
Marguerite shook his arm.  
  
"It's all right now, John. The children are safe with Ned. Everyone is safe," she soothed him.  
  
He grabbed his head, groaned again, and staggered backwards to lean against the wall.  
  
Marguerite face went white with concern. She had to get help, but she couldn't bear to leave him.  
  
She looked toward the stairs as a clattering noise grew louder. A yellow light filled the stairwell.  
  
Marguerite stepped in front of her husband and braced herself for whatever new disaster was coming their way.  
  
The noise on the stairs stopped as the light got closer to the bottom.  
  
Marguerite put her back against John to shield him. She was ready to defend him to the death.  
  
"Hello? Marguerite?"  
  
Ned's voice preceded him into the chamber. Marguerite blew out a breath as Ned, Challenger, Veronica, and, surprisingly, Edward came down the stairs.  
  
Veronica and Challenger rushed forward as they saw the bloodied man behind Marguerite. Marguerite stepped aside to let them lower him gently to the floor. Her legs suddenly felt weak and she had to put a hand on the wall to keep from falling.  
  
Ned and Edward were feeling the newly formed wall. They looked at each other in disbelief.  
  
"Dad? Is this the door that was supposed to close?" Edward asked, his face screwed up in confusion.  
  
Ned just shook his head and raised his eyebrows. He had no explanation to offer him.  
  
Meanwhile, Challenger was examining Roxton. He'd found the wound on the hunter's head. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was jagged and would need some stitches. He suspected that a wall bulge that caught him when he had been distracted by the chaos of the lava flow had injured Roxton. He was more worried about a possible concussion than the wound. They had used a candle to negotiate the suddenly darkened stairs, and now he waved it before his patient's eyes. Roxton squinted in the bright light and pushed Challenger's hand away.  
  
"Are you trying to bloody blind me, George?" Roxton complained. His voice was stronger than it had been.  
  
Challenger grinned at him.  
  
"Sounds like nothing much is wrong with you, John, except a nasty knock on the head."  
  
He helped Roxton to his feet and Marguerite put her arm around his waist to support him as he walked over to the mysterious wall. Roxton eyed the wall with curiosity, but Marguerite only had eyes for him. She bit her lip to keep the tears back as she thought how close she had come to losing him.  
  
"Hey," he whispered wiping a tear off her cheek. "What's all this? You didn't think we were really going to die down here, did you?" he teased.  
  
Marguerite, tears welling up, shook her head. "Who? Us?" she sniffed. Roxton pulled her against him and dipped his head down to kiss her.  
  
"Didn't I always tell you you'd be safe with me?" he murmured against her lips. Marguerite kissed him passionately.  
  
"I'll have to remember that, won't I?" she murmured back.  
  
"Hey, you two," Ned teased them. "Not in front of the c-h-i-l-d."  
  
Edward grinned up him. "I don't mind, Dad. You and Mom act worse than that."  
  
They all chuckled at Veronica's shocked expression. It was good to be able to laugh again.  
  
Suddenly Marguerite remembered the other crisis.  
  
"Veronica, your mother? Is she all right?"  
  
Veronica smiled. "Yes, the Sw'atee healer is fixing her up."  
  
Another thought struck Marguerite. "Challenger, are the children all right?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"They're fine, my dear. They're with Tilly and Arthur. Oh, yes, Abigail is with them, too. She's getting to know her grandchildren while, as she put it, "there's a lull in the action".  
  
Laughing with relief, Marguerite put her arm around John again. It felt wonderful to feel his strength returning to him. She hugged him gently then looked at the wall.  
  
"Seems our "little lock" closed the door after all," she remarked patting the firm surface.  
  
"It would appear that way," Challenger answered her. "I can understand that this hidden door was released by Rosie pulling out that ring, but what I can't understand is that there is no crack or seam where the door joins the wall." With the candle held in one hand, he put his nose only inches from the wall to search for the elusive joint.  
  
"Oh well, Grandpa," Edward said patting him on the back. "As you always say, 'It's just another mystery of the Plateau'.  
  
Challenger sighed. "Indeed, my boy, indeed."  
  
Ned took Veronica's hand and held his other out for his son. "I don't know about the rest of you, but now that the danger is locked up once more, I think a celebration is called for."  
  
"Hooray!" Edward shouted.  
  
Marguerite grinned. "I have an idea, Edward. Poor Tori didn't get her birthday party today, so why don't we have it tomorrow and celebrate our victory too? We'll see if Arthur.R'tor can come and some of the Sw'atee as well."  
  
"Hooray!" Edward shouted again his eyes shining with anticipation.  
  
He took his father's hand and half dragged his parents up the stairs.  
  
The other three followed more slowly.  
  
"Challenger," Marguerite asked curiously. "How did you know it was safe to come back down here?"  
  
Roxton slowed down. He, too, wanted to hear the answer.  
  
"Oh, we didn't know it was safe, but we had no intention of leaving you two down here. You see, we had gotten the children up past the second chamber when we met Veronica coming down. She told us that her mother was being well taken care of, so she had come back to help us. Ned decided to come down with her. Well, my Tilly could see that I was as anxious to return as they were, so she told me to go with them and she would take the children the rest of the way up." He chuckled. "I couldn't turn down such a generous offer. So she and the children continued up, and Ned, Veronica and I hurried down to the lower chamber. We were just beginning to descend the stairs, when the glow from below slowly died out. We didn't know what to think. We were totally confused, but determined. Ned found a candle in his backpack and we stared down."  
  
Marguerite frowned. "And Edward? Why in the world did you let him come with you?"  
  
Challenger shrugged. "We thought he went with Tilly, but when we were half way down the steps, Veronica found Edward following right behind her. His disobedience was NOT well received by his parents. Of course, it was too late to take him back and too dangerous to leave him by himself."  
  
They had reached the top of the steps and paused to let Roxton catch his breath. He was a little dizzy but he hid it well. They found the rest of the group waiting for them.  
  
Ned was on one knee in front of his son who was looking quite unrepentant.  
  
"We'll talk about this later, son," Ned said sternly as he stood up.  
  
"Are we ready?" Veronica asked. She was anxious to get back to her mother and daughter.  
  
"Lead the way, my friend," Marguerite said to her.  
  
She waved her hand in a grand gesture and looked up at her husband, her own true love, and smiled her beautiful smile.  
  
*****  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
The combination birthday and victory party was a huge success. Early the next morning, though not too early since everyone slept in, even the children, the two families met in their favorite meadow. Ned had sent word to the Zanga village, and everyone who could be spared was there. They had brought plenty of food and drink for the party. Even Arthur put in a brief appearance, but decided the sun was too hot to linger outside for long. He left early, promising to visit them again on the next overcast day.  
  
The picnic brunch was greedily eaten by the hungry mob. A short rest time followed and then the children were let loose to play.  
  
Abigail and Veronica sat on a blanket under one of the shady trees on the meadow's edge. Rosie was napping beside them while the other children played games and ran around with their Zanga friends. Veronica, under her mother's curious questioning, was explaining about the warnings that made her change her looks and confine herself and her family to the treehouse grounds.  
  
"The prediction must have been very convincing to cause you all to change your lives so drastically."  
  
"It was a very hard decision for us. If we hadn't had the support of Marguerite, John, George, and Tilly I don't know how we would have managed . Yes, it was hard, very hard, but we could do no less to protect our family."  
  
Abigail pulled her into a hug. "You did the right thing. But now that has all changed. The danger had been taken care of-at least for a long, long time-and you can come out of hiding."  
  
Veronica sat back with tears in her eyes. She could finally show her children the Plateau, their home.  
  
They were silent for a minute watching the happy people celebrating.  
  
"Alice looks so much like you did at that age." Abigail laughed as she watched her granddaughter chase after one of the Zanga boys. "Of course, your hair was longer."  
  
Veronica winced, "I don't know if I can persuade her to let it grow out again. She loves looking like a smaller version of her brother, so she's very happy with it short." She grinned. "Summer is begging her mother to let her get her hair cut short, too."  
  
Abigail shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe Alice will set the trend for all the girls on the Plateau."  
  
They both laughed.  
  
Grandma Tilly and Will, who were the best of friends, were down by the cliff, competing in a spear-throwing contest. Roxton, his head wrapped in a white bandage, was watching them and giving Will advice and encouragement.  
  
"Great throw, Will," Roxton said clapping his hands as the young boy's spear bounced off the big red circle drawn on the center of the target. The younger children's spears were not sharp enough to penetrate the heavy canvas.  
  
Marguerite and Assai stood at the long wooden table that had been built to hold the food. They each held an end of a light cloth that they were putting over the leftover food to keep the insects off. Marguerite kept looking down toward the group at the cliff. She wasn't checking on her son, but keeping an eye on her husband. She was just thinking about calling him over to sit in the shade when Demilla and Victoria, who was wearing the beautiful birthday necklace her parents had given her, came running up.  
  
"Mother!" they both shouted at the same time.  
  
"What is it?" Marguerite and Assai asked together.  
  
They all four laughed and Queen Assai put her arm around her daughter's shoulder. Princess Demilla, though only twelve years old, was as tall as her mother.  
  
"Mother," Tori said again. "Grandpa said that he had a birthday present for me, but he's disappeared, and we can't find him."  
  
Marguerite shared a look with Assai. "I'm sure he'll be back very soon, sweetheart. Why don't you and Demilla play with the skipping ropes Uncle Jarl made for you?"  
  
"But, Mom," Tori started to whine when she was interrupted by the breathless arrival of Edward and Atoo.  
  
"Tori, Tori," Edward shouted with excitement. "Grandpa said for you to come to the pathway, I think he has your birthday present!"  
  
"Hurry, Tori," Atoo added as excited as Edward.  
  
"Let's all go," Marguerite said. She and Assai hastily set stones on the corners of the cloth to keep it on the table and followed the children across the meadow to the shadowy pathway on the other side.  
  
Somehow word had spread and everyone was gathering at the same spot. Abigail and Veronica, holding the just awakened baby, wandered over, too. Roxton came up with Will and Tilly. He took his youngest daughter from her aunt and cuddled her to his chest. Marguerite smiled at him and slipped her hand under his arm.  
  
Alice and Summer arrived hot and breathless. Never one to let an opportunity to wheedle go by, Summer lifted her damp hair off of her neck and said loudly, "Gee, I wish I had short hair like Alice, then it wouldn't get me so sweaty."  
  
Roxton laughed and, giving Rosie to her mother, scooped up his Little Terror and put her on his shoulders. "We like you sweaty," he assured her.  
  
Alice clamped a hand over her mouth and giggled.  
  
Everyone got silent as Challenger stepped out of the shadows. He motioned Tori forward and when she stood beside him, he bowed to her in his very extravagant way.  
  
"Lady Victoria Grace Roxton, for your very special, once in a lifetime, first double-digit birthday, we, that is, your family and the Zanga, would like to present you with the very first, one of a kind-so far-remarkably engineered, patent pending, Challenger Cycle!"  
  
Victoria eyes widened as one of Challenger's Zanga engineering students came out of the shadows wheeling a bicycle. It was definitely a homemade vehicle, but remarkably manufactured considering the limitation under which it was made.  
  
"Wow!" Will said. He didn't know what it was, but it looked really swell.  
  
Tori didn't know what it was either, but she was a well-raised young lady and she smiled and thanked everyone for such a splendid gift.  
  
Summer wasn't as polite as her sister.  
  
"What is THAT, Grandpa?" she asked bluntly.  
  
Challenger looked up at the child's curious frown and realized that the children probably didn't know what it was.  
  
He threw back his head and laughed.  
  
"Rather than tell you, I'll show you." He took the bicycle from his student and, without hesitation, threw his leg over the seat. Pushing off with his foot, he steered a wobbly track through the meadow grass.  
  
"Careful, George!" admonished Tilly with a worried frown. Then, seeing the delighted look on his face, she smiled. Still a boy at heart that was her George.  
  
The children's look of curiosity and puzzlement turned to amazement as Challenger picked up speed and pedaled faster. He was halfway across the field before, whooping with excitement, they took off after him.  
  
"Down, Daddy! Down!" Summer demanded.  
  
Her feet were moving before they touched the ground.  
  
Roxton threw his arm around Marguerite and laughed.  
  
"I hope George realizes that he'll have to make a cycle for all the children now."  
  
Marguerite leaned into his embrace. "Somehow, I don't think he'll mind a bit," she answered watching their old friend run behind his creation as the birthday girl took her first ride.  
  
***********************************  
  
It was already dark when the three weary families finally made their way home. Their swinging lanterns made spots of light like large fireflies zigzagging through the humid air. At the point in the pathway where the road branched out in three different directions, the lanterns came together. Hugs and kisses, laughter and teases were exchanged.  
  
Challenger and Tilly headed left toward the Zanga village, their arms twined around each other.  
  
Roxton called his clan together to make the short walk to their treehouse. Victoria had very generously let Will sit on the seat of the bicycle while she held the handlebars and walked beside it. They could do this in peace only because Summer Leigh had fallen asleep on her father's shoulder. Marguerite carried the sleeping baby.  
  
Edward and Alice were totally absorbed in their grandmother. They each held one of her hands and asked and answered questions, interrupting each other in their eagerness. Behind them walked the four Avatar Warriors, a silent wall of protection.  
  
With one more goodbye the two families went their separate ways.  
  
At the Malone treehouse, the children were cleaned up and put to bed, but the adults stayed up talking.  
  
Ned and Veronica sat at the table while Abigail did a tour of her old treehouse.  
  
"Mother!" Veronica called to her. "Would you like some more tea?"  
  
She grinned to herself-Mother--she couldn't say it enough.  
  
Ned noticed the grin and hid his own in his tea cup. Having a mother-in- law was turning out to be a good thing, he thought. Veronica had blossomed.  
  
Abigail walked in from the balcony of the treehouse she hadn't been in for over twenty years. It was at once familiar and foreign to her. She looked around at the home her daughter and Ned had created and was overwhelmed. They had created the kind of home she had wanted for her family before destiny took her in a different direction.  
  
"No more for me, my darling," she said. She sat down next to Ned and smiled at his amused look. She was happy with her daughter's husband. He was a good man. A good man just as Tom was.  
  
"Should I take some down to the Avatars?" Veronica asked uncertainly. Her mother's guards had stationed themselves at the base of the treehouse, two on each side of the elevator shaft.  
  
Abigail laughed lightly. "Don't bother, Veronica. I've tried for years to give something back to them, but they have their own code and way of living. I've learned to just accept them and be grateful for their devotion."  
  
"I don't think I could ever get used to having them around me all the time," Veronica said with a shutter.  
  
Abigail cocked her head to one side. "You'll have to get used to it one day, sweetheart," she said gently.  
  
Veronica looked startled then nodded grimly. "Yes, I will---and Alice, too I guess. The future Protectors of the Plateau."  
  
"Alice?" Abigail asked in surprise. "Alice will never be a Protector."  
  
"Wh-wh-what?" stammered Veronica. She looked over at Ned. "Alice not a Protector?"  
  
"I thought you knew. The protector's first born is always destined to follow the line." She laid a gentle hand on her daughter's arm. "Edward will follow you as Protector of the Plateau."  
  
In the stunned silence that followed, unnoticed by the three at the table, someone moved deeper into the shadows of the bedroom passage. A stray beam of light bounced off of curly blond hair. Edward Malone grinned and pumped his fist in the air before silently scurrying back to his room.  
  
The End of This One.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
Author's Note: Ned and Veronica's adventure that caused her to change her looks and way of life will be revealed in The Children of the Plateau Bridge Story #3.  
  
Stay tuned for Bridge Story #2 coming as soon as I can wrestle it into submission. Bridge Story #1 "Fire!" can be found at and at Carolyn's fabulous site TLW Fix.  
  
Bridge Stories = Stories that span the 12 years between 1922 ("The Future is Back", "Fire!"), and 1934 ("The Five Keys") and explain how the Plateau came to be the way it is in the children's time. ***** Dear Readers:  
  
Thanks to all who have taken their time to read this story, and a special thank you to those who have also given this author feedback. You've all helped me in so many ways.  
  
The Inner Genie 


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